


Left Me in Pieces

by mrsgaryrennell



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: A bit of Carl/Mc, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Multiple chapters, Slow Burn, Smut, cellist and pianist, gary will have to work extra hard for MC this time, kind of, musician - Freeform, there will be a lot of feels I think, trainwreck of emotions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2020-11-28 10:03:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsgaryrennell/pseuds/mrsgaryrennell
Summary: Chloe had left the villa before it ended and she's still heart broken about Gary. She's trying to move on but what will happen when the musician is sent to Chatham for a performance? Will she encounter the ex-islander? If so, will their past romance blossom once more? ***INCOMPLETE, no further continuation***





	1. Haunt

Chloe’s head turned to see a familiar girl smiling at her from cheek to cheek, “Babes!”

She gets up from her chair and stretches her arms to hug her friend, “Priya! Oh my days, it’s been so long.” Priya returns the same affectionate hug and sits across from the ex-islander. 

“How’s life, hun? How’s it been since the villa?” The red-haired asked enthusiastically. 

Chloe let out a long sigh, “As much as an experience the villa was, I’ve got to say that I missed home and just coming back to the theatre, playing my cello was quite welcoming.” She smiles and sees Priya go quiet for a moment, as if she was pondering about something else. 

“What about you, Priya? Have you found anyone lucky to date?” 

A small frown gravitates Priya’s lips, “Sadly no, but I have started dating and we’ll see who’s daring enough to get _all_ of this.” Her hands signal her entire body and lets out a laugh. 

Chloe giggles at her, missing how light hearted Priya was; something she really needed after Priya was eliminated, “I missed you so much, babes. The villa was not the same after you left. I missed how scented the bathroom was.” 

Priya’s lips stretch to a faint smile and reached for Chloe’s hand, “Aw hun, I missed you, too.” Her dark eyes shifted for a brief second and went back to Chloe, “I just really wished I could’ve stayed to keep you company. The things I’ve seen on the telly…” Priya rolled her eyes out of annoyance. 

“I’m sure you’ve seen many things…” The brunette also frowned, drafting her thoughts on her last night at the villa. 

“How are _you _feeling, babes? The last night you were there was so unexpected.” 

Chloe’s eyebrows lowered at the sudden flashbacks, “It’s taken some time but I feel alright now.” 

It’s been a few months since Love Island and Chloe didn’t feel the need to continue her journey for the show. There was drama that she had a hard time processing and had decided to take her bags and leave her time there behind. Normally, she wouldn’t give up on a challenge so easily but what was discovered that night she left was too unbearable to tolerate. 

Chloe came back to her home in Islington and disconnected herself from the world. She’d received calls from her parents but they understood when she respectfully asked them to let her deal with her emotions alone. Until now, has she given herself the opportunity to start going out with her friends. 

Priya scrunched her nose, thinking about her next question, “…Have you thought about Gary at all?” 

Chloe’s golden eyes lingered on her friend’s face. She had not heard his name in a long time and it stung her chest. She gulped in her emotions, “…I can’t say I haven’t.”

She couldn’t help but recall the last time she saw Gary. They were outside the villa at the front door and all she stared into were his glossy blue eyes. 

…

_“Please, love. You can’t leave me without having a chat about this first.” Gary had tears streaming down his face, waiting to hear a response from Chloe. _

_She was trying to distract herself by pushing in her luggage into the trunk of the Jeep. Chloe finally turned to face Gary. Her saddened light brown eyes traveled to each beautiful feature on his face. Her chin lightly trembled and shook her head, “There’s nothing to discuss. What I saw was enough and I-I can’t stay here -”_

_A soft gasp traveled to her throat, feeling his warm hands cup her face and pull her head near his. Chloe’s heart ached at how loving his words swayed out of his lips, “I swear that you’re the only one for me, Princess. I love you and I can’t imagine myself in here without you.” His voice felt broken and lost. _

_Gary tilted his head, pressing his smooth lips onto Chloe’s. His kisses were delivered with grief yet full of care and fondness. The blond islander could feel her fresh tears crash on his hands. Gary rested his forehead against hers, frowning at her never responding to his kiss. The fact that Chloe didn’t kiss him back made his stomach twist into knots. _

_Chloe lifted her saddened eyes to see Gary silently crying. He quickly used his forearm to wipe them off and slumped his shoulders. Her frown grew at such a gloomy sight of leaving him; hesitantly, Chloe caressed Gary’s cheek. Even though her trust in him vanished within seconds, she couldn’t help but still have feelings for this man. This would be the last time she would feel his warm skin; her fingertips softly grazing his beard. Chloe’s heart began to beat faster once she felt Gary’s larger fingers slide up where her hand hasn’t left his face. He grasped her hand with much yearn for her to stay. Gary couldn’t find his voice, “…Please, Chloe. Don’t leave.” _

_Her honey-coloured eyes deeply looked into his crystal blue ones, not believing she was saying goodbye to him, “I’m sorry…I must go and I’m sure there’s a couple of girls in there that will be thrilled to see you available for once.” Gary sees her forced smile betray her lips and lets out a light chuckle, as a method to ease up such a heart-wrenching farewell. He lowered his dark eyebrows and looked down at the ground. He didn’t want any other girl but her. _

_He feels her arms pulling him into a deep hug and he instantly wrapped his strong arms around her waist. Gary buried his nose in her soft brown hair; he knew he was going to miss her lovely rose scent. He closed his eyes just wanting to enjoy the last bit of warmth he’d receive from her. They didn’t want to let go of each other but Chloe loosened the hug and Gary still had his arms around her waist. Their faces still so close, only able to stare into their eyes, “I sincerely wish you luck. You’ve been here for so long, I expect you to win this.” She sweetly smiles at him but it’s briefly, “Thank you for such a wonderful summer.” Her voice gradually went quieter at the realisation of her farewell to Gary. _

_She scanned every inch of his face one last time, as if she wanted to permanently photograph his handsome features into her mind. Her thumb wiped off a small tears that escaped his eyes, “You were quite lovely to be with, Gary. It’s a shame things didn’t work out.”_

_The driver honks at the two, making both shortly turn their attention to the vehicle. Chloe looks back at Gary. She looks down at his lips, almost as if she were going to kiss him but retracts from the thought, “Goodbye, Gary…” _

_…_

“Chloe? Are you alright?” Priya tried to search for her friend’s attention. 

Chloe reverts her concentration to Priya and blinks a few times, “I’m sorry, hun. I was just, um…” She looks down at her cup of tea and tries to distract herself by stirring her spoon in her beverage. 

Priya gives her a reassuring smile and rest her hand on Chloe’s shoulder, “No babes, I have to apologise. I shouldn’t have asked about Gary so suddenly.” 

The brunette shook her head and smiled, “That’s okay. I just..,” Chloe sighs at the thought of Gary and the whirl of emotions she had gone through for him, “…I’ve tried to not think about him, I really have. When I first came into the villa, I did not have any thoughts of inclining my interests in one of the boys.” 

Priya leaned in and raised her eyebrows, “But?” 

Chloe’s briefly bit her bottom lip. She hated what she was about to say. She hated that Gary still lingered in her thoughts at times and wondered what might have happened to him, “I had caught feelings for him, Priya.” 

The red-haired woman frowned. She hated to see Chloe like this, “Hun, have you thought about searching for him? He’s got to be in social media or something.” 

Chloe gives her a stern look, “Priya, I am not going to search for him.” She rests her back on the chair and crosses her arms, “I don’t give men second chances and even if I wanted to find him, I’m sure he’s resumed to his life back home.” 

Priya’s face is determined and purses her lips for a moment, “Chloe, I have to disagree with you. Gary was well into you and always found an opportunity to compliment you.” Her dark eyes eased on her friend, “I know that scandal has made you hesitant about him but you should follow your heart, babes. Besides, we still don’t fully know what’s happened.” 

Hearing Priya’s reassurance in her voice made Chloe think about what Gary might’ve explained to her before leaving. She shook her head at the wishful ideas, “I saw it with my own eyes. I don’t think there’s anything else to explain. I’ve made my decision to move on.” 

Priya tilted her head, “How are you going to do that?” 

Chloe gave her a faint smirk, “Well…remember in Casa Amor, there was Carl?” 

The olive-skinned beauty gasped loudly and squealed, “Are you seeing him?! That’s fantastic!” 

Chloe let out a short giggle, “I’m just talking to him but we’ll see how things go. I felt terrible rejecting him during Casa Amor and we bumped into each other one afternoon in London. I was heading towards the theatre for a rehearsal and he had a meeting nearby.” A small smile hugged her cheeks, “It was nice seeing Carl again.” She remembered the smile that glimmered in his face when he called out her name. 

Both ex-islanders spoke for hours until the coffee shop had to close. They stood outside the store and hugged their goodbyes. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

“Oi! What about that one over there, eh?” Gary’s friend pointed out a table with a few girls. There was one with chestnut brown hair and dark eyes. She smirked at Gary and gave him a wink. 

Gary glanced at her direction and looked back at his friend. He grinned and looked at his friend, “I dunno, mate. She’s not really my type.” 

Dicky patted him on his back and dangled his arm around the blond’s neck, “What’s happened, Gary? I know birds with dark hair are your thing and you’ve turned down two other ones already.” 

Gary brings his beer bottle to his lips, trying to avoid the question, “Nothing, really. Just not in the mood, I reckon.” 

Dicky furrowed his brows and chuckles at Gary’s answer, “Bruv, you are a terrible liar. Is there something that has bothered you?”

Gary raised his dark eyebrow and and took a deep breath, Dicky knew him very well and couldn’t stay quiet for too long, “…It’s about Chloe, mate.” His blue eyes gloomed and looked down at the table. It’s been a some time since he’s left the villa and Chloe still dictated his every thought. 

“I knew it, I knew it was going to be about her.” Dicky threw his arms in the air and shifted his torso towards his friend, “Look, I know you really liked her in Love Island but it was just a show, mate. She’s certainly moved on and left the villa without letting you explain. If you ask me, I’d say she’s well off with another lad by now.” 

He didn’t know why, but it agitated Gary on how his friend was expressing himself about Chloe. He understood why she didn’t want an explanation from him. She stood there, watching everything and he couldn’t do anything to have her comprehend the situation. Gary couldn’t put her at fault of her behaviour; in fact, he thought she handled it maturely. It also saddened him at the thought of her moving on and dating other men. She had every right to be happy but Chloe was one of a kind and it upset him to know he wouldn’t have another opportunity to be with her - let alone see her beautiful face just once more. 

Gary’s thoughts were interrupted by Dicky and only listened to what he had to say, “It’s only fair that you move on as well. Give yourself some pleasure in life, huh? You see…” Gary’s friend nodded his head towards the same brunette that flirted with Gary from afar, “She’s a right sort, yeah? Come on!” 

Gary sees Dicky walk towards the girls’ table and unwillingly approaches them. The girl comes over to Gary and gives him a sly smile, “You’re quite the eye candy. What’s your name, handsome?” 

The blond returns the smirk, “Gary.” 

She leans closer to him and rest her hands on his arm. She looks impressed at his muscled arms, “You’ve got such strong arms. There’s no denying you work out. How about we sit down for a chat and a drink?” 

Some time passed by and the group continued with endless drinks. The girl took Gary’s hands, pulling him into a corner where no one could interfere. She pulls him closer to her as her hands travel from his firm shoulders to his neck. She pulls him closer and her lips brush against his. The kiss initiated with intensity as her tongue searched for his. Gary roamed his hands down to her waist and pulls her closer. The dark haired girl eagerly pushed him to the nearest wall and deepened their kiss. Gary could feel this girl’s need for sex just by hearing her soft moans and he couldn’t lie, this is the longest he’s gone without doing bits. 

His breath had a faster rhythm once he felt her mouth leave his and lowered to attend his neck. He could feel her hot mouth place needy kisses on every inch of his exposed skin. Her tongue pokes at the side of his neck and nudges his earlobe, “Mmm…” Gary mumbles. 

The muscular blond gripped his hands tighter on the girl’s hips as she progressed to his positive response. Gary closed his eyes and allowed her to continue to caress his neck with her lips. He can hear her sigh back to him as her hand travels to his chest. She nibbles his earlobe and Gary couldn’t help but let out another moan in response, “Oh, Chloe…” His heavy puffs of breath intensified at the thought of Chloe in this girl’s place. 

Gary’s blue eyes instantly opened and his body stiffened at what just had happened. He looked down to see an upset girl, pushing herself off him, “Sorry?!” She exclaims. 

He tries to calm her down and scolds at himself for not keeping his thoughts to himself, “No, love. I just -”

She waves her hand out of frustration and leaves him alone. 

He rests his back against the wall and profoundly ponders on his actions. Gary couldn’t help but take advantage of every given moment to remember Chloe. She was the best thing that had happened in such a long time. He let her slip through his fingers and vanished from his life. He shook his head and disapproved of how he was reacting. Gary knew he was never going to see her again. Him clinging to a summer romance was almost idiotic and being a realistic thinker, he knew he had to let go her - even if he despised the concept of forgetting her, he knew he had to make the effort. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

** _The Next Morning: _ **

Chloe was speed walking towards the front door pushing in her cello case first through the elevator. Her finger pushed on the designated button and felt like it was taking an eternity to arrive. She was mentally lecturing herself for not setting her alarm clock last night. 

Her head immediately turned to see the elevator doors opening and took not another second to head straight to the theatre. After a few minutes of strutting through a couple of hallways, she finally made it to the rehearsal room. An older gentleman turned around at the sound of the door clicking, “Chloe! Where on earth have you been?” 

She throws him an apologetic look, “I know! I’m truly sorry. There’s no excuse for my tardiness; I’ll make sure it won’t happen again.” 

His wrinkled stern look eases at the young wavy haired woman, “I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but it’s pivotal to remain punctual. Especially when we need our talented cello in the room.” 

Chloe’s shoulders relax, _phew! _She settles her belongings where she sits for their practices and notices her instructor follow her. Her head turns to him and notices a strange expression lingering in his face, “Chloe, I’ve got a favour to ask of you, that is if you don’t mind.” 

Her entire body turns to him and focuses all her attention on the older man, “Of course!”

“Well, there is this concert that will be performing this weekend at another theatre and they are short a pianist.” 

Her bright eyes go wide and is anxious to hear his next sentence, “Yes?” 

“One of my longtime colleagues said her pianist had a last-minute emergency and wouldn’t be able to perform. I did let her know that I knew a certain young lady who can play the piano.” He signals to her direction and felt an overwhelm of happy emotions bursting through her body. Her musical instructor knew how much she loved to play the piano professionally but couldn’t in her own theatre since the position was occupied. Chloe loved both instruments dearly but the piano was very special as it reminded her of her grandmother. She taught her how to play it and bonded with their love for music. 

The biggest smile spread across her face and nodded at the offer, “I would be honoured to be the pianist. Are there multiple showings? Is it in London?” 

The elderly orchestra director chuckled at her eagerness, “Alright, alright. They are multiple showings during the weekend. We would send you out on Friday and stay the weekend there. The housing, food, and travel costs will be covered and it is in Chatham, if I heard correctly.” 

Chloe tries to remain her excitement but her smile gradually falls and kept repeating the name of the city she’d be performing. _Chatham. Chatham. Chatham. _She couldn’t help but recall Gary as it was his hometown. She shook her head to remove her foolish thoughts of bumping into him. It wasn’t the smallest city either; there wouldn’t be any way to encounter her ex-Love Island partner.

_Why are you even wasting your thoughts on that liar. Don’t you remember what he did? You’ve got to move on! You are traveling to Chatham for one objective: to perform in a theatre. _Her conscious invaded her head and agreed; the nonsense had to come to an end. Besides, she wants to see if anything blossoms with Carl. 

“You look bothered, my dear. Has something happened?” 

“No, I-I have forgotten to put the gate at the kitchen for my dog. Silly me! I’m sure I’ll arrive to a pleasant surprise.” She couldn’t come up with a better lie but it seemed convincing. 

“Right, well!” He clasps his hands and walks to his station, “I will email you the location and schedule.” His eyes land on her and gives her a smile out of gratitude, “Thank you, Chloe. This is very meaningful since it’s a favour for an old friend.” 

“Of course.” Chloe smiles back. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

**Friday Afternoon:**

“Carl, you really don’t have to accompany me. It’s a short drive to Chatham.” Chloe felt terrible dragging Carl to the southeast, especially when he was only supposed to be in London for a few days until he commented about his extended stay. 

The dark haired man grabbed Chloe’s travel bags and carefully organised them in the vehicle. He looked at her and smirked, “I don’t know what you’re preoccupied about. All I’m doing is dropping you off and I’ll pick you up Monday morning.” 

Chloe returned a sly smile and walked a bit closer to him. She looked at him with flirty eyes and softly laughed, “Can’t get enough of me, I presume?” 

Carl blushed and gulped at the attention, “No-! I mean, yes. I-” He started to get a little shy at how she flirted but Chloe found it endearing of him to care for her well-being. Carl shyly smiled and laughed at himself, “What I’m trying to say is that I prefer making sure you are safe at a city that is foreign to you. At least I’ll be aware of where you’re staying in case of an emergency.” 

Chloe slightly tilted her head eyeing Carl’s features. The corner of his lips curled into a faint smile, “What’s happened?” He asked curiously. 

Her head grows closer to his and he lowers his eyelids, anxious to see her next move. Chloe presses her full lips against his cheek and kisses his skin, “You’re so sweet!” 

His pale blue eyes gaze down at her and cups her cheek, “The sweetest I can be.” He scrunches his upper lip and shakes his head, “Too much?” 

The young musician slightly throws her head back and cackles at the Irish native, “Just a bit.” She grips onto her purse and moves over to the passenger side of the vehicle, “We must go, babe. I wouldn’t want to make a bad first impression.”

They both slide their bodies inside the car and Carl looks confused, “…Don’t you start tomorrow?” Her last comment wasn’t making sense to him. 

“Yes but I’ve got rehearsal today. I’ve got to make adjustments to the stage settings as well as check if the piano needs any regulation or tuning.” 

Carl nodded and realised he didn’t understand what she meant by all of that but shrugged it off. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

After Carl assisted Chloe dropping off her belongings at her temporary housing, she commutedover to the theatre where the performances would be held at; it was relatively a short distance.

Her bright eyes looked up at the antique-looking building; the architecture was breathtaking and only imagined how it looked inside. Once she entered the building, Chloe was at awe at the rustic detail that graced the walls. It was a quiet place, only hearing the endless echoing of her low heeled ankled boots.

“Are you looking for someone?” Chloe turns to where she hears a woman’s voice. She’s small, about Chloe’s height. The woman had straight grey hair, just landing above her shoulders. 

“I am, actually. My name is Chloe Manseau. I’ve traveled from London,” She extended her hand to formally shake the older woman’s hand, “My instructor from the National Theatre has sent me as the fill-in pianist for this weekend.” 

The older woman rose her eyebrows, realising who Chloe was, “Oh my heavens, why of course! My apologies, darling. It’s very nice to meet you.” The woman stretched her arm out and guided Chloe, “Right this way. I’ll show you the theatre room.”

As the young musician crosses the threshold of double doors, she instantly has a beautiful view of the stage. The area was distinctively smaller than the theatre where she would perform but it was charming and intimate. Her legs make their way to the stage, standing in front of the gorgeous jet black piano. The stage lights were perfectly positioned, bringing out the impeccable gloss of the instrument. Her fingertips grazed the keyboard and couldn’t help but smile. This would be her first professional performance as a pianist. She was confident about her knowledge and experience but the situation didn’t sink in until she was sitting on the bench. Her instructor had given her a heads up on what the music sheets looked like and they were musical numbers that she knew like the back of her hand. 

“I’m certain you’ve been told what the performance will consist of. It is a concert suite of a number of classics: Swan Lake, Giselle, and the Nutcracker.” 

Chloe nodded, “I’ve been provided the musical sheets.” She takes out organised sheets that had the written notes. The wavy haired young woman turns her eyes to the instructor, “Would you like a sample?” 

The woman signals Chloe to perform a piece, “I’d love to hear what my colleague has sent me. He has promised me a brilliant pianist.” The woman subtly winks. 

Chloe straightens her back and hovers her fingers above the piano’s keys. She starts off with a soft start of the Swan Lake. Gradually, the rhythm of her fingers increase as the song intensifies. She’s lost into the sound of the piano’s chimed tones and forgets that she wasn’t alone; it’s only her and the piano bringing life to the classic ballet theme. Chloe eases on the rhythm of the music as she concludes the song. She looks up at the instructor and is concerned about the look on her face. 

The grey haired woman stared at Chloe. Her face was almost hard to read and made Chloe feel a bit uneasy, “May I ask, how old are you?” 

“25.” The young musician gulped, trying to remain as neutral as possible. Did this instructor like how the piano was played? Was it too fast paced or slow? 

“Young lady…in my many years as a director, I haven’t seen this sort of talent in a long time. The way you flow with the notes is exceptional and the pace is set to perfection.” The woman takes a breath of satisfaction, “A true musician, I must say.” 

Chloe’s eyes brighten at the compliments and nods respectfully, “Thank you very much.” She felt like her back relaxed after hearing the praise. 

“Of course.” Her attention reverts to the rest of stage and walks towards the backstage as someone calls for her, “I’ve got run off to a meeting but please let me know if you need anything.” 

After the rehearsal, Chloe felt confident about the performances. She had the opportunity to partner up with a talented violinist who will be joining her for a section of the concert. The experience was quite enjoyable and only hoped she would have another opportunity like this in the future. 

It was late in the day and she just wanted to feed herself and obtain a well rest before the concert. Even though the audience would be smaller than what she is accustomed to, she felt the pressure of not only the director from this institution but also from her own instructor back in London. She only hoped that everything turns out alright. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

** _The Next Evening: _ **

Gary’s eyes scanned at the rest of the crowd that was waiting to be seated. He spotted some workers registering each ticket with each party; he felt like it was taking too long. The girl next to him nudged on his torso and guided him to move forward, “Thank you for taking me to this concert, Gary. I didn’t know you were interested in classical music.”

He nodded his head and smiled, “It’s not really my sort of night out if I’m honest, but I’m glad I’m giving it a try with you.” Gary truly wasn’t interested in this date his mates had set up. The girl was beautiful and quite lovely but he wasn’t as into the occasion as she was. They were trying to help him with a date but it felt like they were pranking him with something so incredibly posh; Gary felt like an outcast here. Apparently, his nan kept pressuring him to wear semi casual attire due to the type of date. He had a light blue collared tucked in shirt with slight exposure of his chest and dark jeans; something his nan had suggested. 

Both were seated near the stage, just a few rows were ahead of them and it seemed like the view would be pleasing. Gary was impressed with his mates on the seat selection and turned to look at his date. She looked very enthusiastic about the performances, “This will be a great concert. I’ve heard this was one of the most anticipated showings in Chatham.” She kept a quiet voice as the room was almost without any sound. 

“We don’t really get orchestral concerts here. Folks usually have to travel outside the city to get a good listen for these sorts of shows.” His head turned at the sound of curtains sliding quickly to the ends as it exposes a large piano right in the middle of the stage, along with other instruments surrounding the piano. He saw flutes and violins with their chairs and sheet stands. 

The lighting dimmed and clapped along with the rest of the crowd as they all saw a few well-dressed musicians walk into the stage and began playing. Some time passed and checked the time on his phone, “_Damn, it’s only been 35 minutes.” _He dreaded the time in his head. This was going to be a long night. 

After a handful of musical numbers that were played by a few people, an announcer was heard through the speakers to introduce the next bit of the show, “And now for our last performer. She has come from the National Theatre. Please welcome our pianist - Chloe Manseau.” 

Gary’s ears ringed at the sound of that name and lifted his head to witness the sight of a familiar gorgeous woman walking towards the piano. There she stood in front of the crowd and bowed at them, smiling while making her way towards the piano’s stool. Gary’s heart couldn’t contain the amount of happiness and excitement to see the ex-islander again, even if it was from afar; he couldn’t believe she was really here. 

His blue eyes fixed on her focused face and admires her from a distance. Her slim fingers start to press on the piano’s keys. The corners of Gary’s lips graced into a sincere smile when he began to notice how passionate Chloe was playing the piano. He recalled back in the villa, how emotionally invested she was into her career and even teased him about playing the cello for him but never did she mentioned that she could also play the piano. 

Gary notices her back straightened and closing her eyes as she swayed her head to the notes of her piano chirping. Her fingers naturally moved on the piano’s keys and felt like her soul intertwined with the music. Some time has passed as she’s not only captivated Gary, but the audience with her performance. Just as she finishes her last song, Chloe turns her head towards the pleased crowd and they clap for her. The wavy-haired brunette stands humbly bows to the crowd and mouths out ‘thank you’ to everyone. Chloe couldn’t help but smile at the outcome of her performance; this almost felt like a fantasy for her. She absolutely adored the cello; she felt very ardent about the instrument but she felt like this was owed to her late grandmother. 

The muscled blond gets up like the rest of the crowd and continues to applaud Chloe. He sees her sweet smile shine across her features and Chloe bows one more time before she clicks her pointed heels towards the end of the stage. A part of Gary grew worried of not seeing his Love Island partner ever again; he needed to find a way to approach her. 

“Wasn’t that lovely, Gary?” Gary’s head turned to the voice of his date and blinked a couple of times. He was so lost into the sight of the musician, he completely forgot he was with someone else. 

“Oh yeah, she was…” He took a deep sigh and his eyes wondered to the piano. Gary still couldn’t believe Chloe visiting Chatham and performing. His blue eyes softened remembering how her smile exhibited such happiness towards the audience. It warmed him thoroughly to see her so content with herself, “…perfect and stunning…” 

He notices the girl raise her eyebrow at his comment and tries to correct himself, “You know, the music was perfect and stunning.” Gary lets out a nervous laugh. 

“Right…well, we should leave. Looks like we’re the only ones here.” She gathers her purse and coat. 

Gary turns his head towards all directions and realises they are alone, “I’ll catch up in a bit but you go on. The silence of the theatre is relaxing and I’m sure there’s a crowd towards the exit.” 

The girl shrugs, “Alright. I’ll meet you outside.” 

He sees her walk towards the double doors until he’s the only one in the theatre. Gary sits back down and slumps his shoulders. His hand runs across his face and stares at the piano still at the centre of the stage. He exhales his stored breath out of wonderment and replays Chloe’s presence in his head, “Wow…” He mutters to himself. 

He abruptly hears the clatter of heels at the stage and his blood drains to his feet at the sight of Chloe walking towards the piano. She grabbed her music sheets as if she’s forgotten to bring them after she departed the stage. Gary’s heart begins to race and sits up straight. He sees her still standing with her head lowered reading her sheets. 

The muscular blond gets up and his legs quietly makes their way towards the stage. His eyes look up and doesn’t say a word. His fingers curl inside his hand and parted his lips, “…Chloe…” He softly calls out to her. 


	2. Claire de Lune

The young soloist freezes at the familiar sound of that deep voice. Her fingers clutch onto her music sheets, trying to cover her trembling hands. Chloe turns to the owner of that voice and her yellow-toned eyes meet his light blue ones. They gaze at each other in silence, intaking such a wistful moment. A moment that almost left like a fantasy and yet Chloe could clearly hear her heart thump rapidly under her skin.

She couldn’t believe the sight: Gary stood there with tense shoulders and a strained expression lingering along his features. The thought of Gary being present right now felt so unreal. 

Gary recognises how unsettled the ex-islander felt. She lowered her head and her wavy side bangsprotects her face from displaying any instant emotions. Chloe wanted to remain as neutral as possible but who knows how long that would even last; her emotions were at the brink of pouring out of her system. After a few seconds of collecting herself, she brings her chin up to and takes a deep breath. She sees Gary coming closer to the edge of the stage and looks up at her. 

He’s taken back at how stunning she still was. Chloe’s elegant lace dress perfectly hugged her curves. It only made him recall when he’d trace her frame with his warm hands and how she would shiver at his affection. His deep eyes finally land on her angelic face, instantly spotting her melancholy frown. He naturally mimics a similar frown, reminding himself that they didn’t leave in good terms, “I didn’t expect to see you here, if I’m honest.” He bravely initiated their conversation. 

Gary hears a soft hum as she clears her throat, “I was sent by my director as a fill-in pianist,” Her answer felt short and distant. Gary tried to set aside her change in behaviour but it still stung him. She flickered her light brown eyes down to the wooden floor, not knowing where to look. He notices her shift her body as she walks towards the exit of the stage. Gary almost panics as she was about to leave without saying at least a goodbye or anything. He quickly moves to her pace and goes up a short set of stairs. Gary manages to catch up to her before leaving, “Wait, Chloe!” 

Chloe pushes her hair behind her shoulders as she stops for Gary. She feels a lump in her throat at the sound of her name. She wanted to get away from there and avoid Gary as much as she could but seeing him so unexpectedly for the first time since the villa gave her this warm feeling at the pit of her stomach and she hated it. 

She turns around with a nonchalant expression and straightened her back. He was now at eye-level and even though her objective was to remain with a distance, Chloe couldn’t help but admire his all around physique. Gary looked as handsome as ever and couldn’t help but gape into his deep blue eyes. She almost forgot how mesmerising he felt in any room. 

Gary had to take a moment to admire the amount of beauty she carried; he couldn’t decide what to idolise - from her elegant dress to her perfectly arranged hair. His eyes admired Chloe’s all-around presence before complimenting her, “You look absolutely stunning, love…” He offered her a smile but never saw her return it. He gets it and quite frankly, he couldn’t judge her for remaining reserved towards him. 

She nodded as the corner of her lips briefly curled; almost like a bitter smile, “Thank you.” 

She felt him shifting himself closer to her and she doesn’t know how to respond. Chloe was finding it challenging to keep herself from getting distracted. Gary effortlessly stood there as she tried to not scan each muscle that bulged from his shirt. 

The pianist crosses her arms, “I don’t want to come across as rude but what are you doing here?” 

He swiftly wiped his hand from his mouth down to his chin and glanced at her. Her scowl burned right through him, “A couple of mates decided to pull a prank blind date and here I am.” Gary shook his head and grinned, “You’ll never find me in these places and they well knew what they were doing.” 

Chloe shortly nodded, “I see…well, it was nice seeing you again. I hope you enjoyed the show.” 

The formality she was approaching threw him off and felt his chest tighten. It almost felt like he was talking to a complete stranger. The spiked haired blond winces at her taking a step to leave. His hand grips onto her arm without a second thought and draws himself closer to her. 

The brunette musician has a short blank stare before realising how close he was to her. The closeness was nostalgically intimate and it took her breath away. Her golden eyes look up at him and can see the amount of passion he was trying to contain from spilling. She can feel his hand letting go of her but neither of them move away. 

Gary is hypnotised by Chloe. His crystal blue eyes peer into hers as she does to his. They feel their tension thickening and all he wants to do is wrap his arms around her and feel that familiar spark they once chatted about. He missed all of her and only hoped she felt the same way. His hand hovered near her cheek as if he was holding his urge to feel her soft skin against his. 

Chloe shuts her eyes and lightly shakes her head, “Gary, _don’t…” _Her voice softly pleads. There was a danger to this man and knew if she fell for him again, she would never forgive herself. 

She lifts her eyelids and spots the brawny man closer to her. She could instantly smell his minty scent and it took her back to a flash of memories she’s had with him. She recalled the times they shared the shower and how he’d jokingly talk about the wonders his body wash has done for him. That deep minty fragrance lingered around her nose every time she would go to bed and wake up to him by her side: something she greatly missed to experience. She tries to look away but her bright eyes deceive her and gaze into each structure that formed his lovely face. Chloe feels his hot breath coat her skin and it sends chills down her spine. The level of closeness was unexpected, “How can you tell me to stop if you feel the same way, huh?” Gary whispers just enough so it is only Chloe that can hear him. 

He rests his forehead on hers and noses slightly rub longingly. Gary carefully cups her face and his thumbs slowly caresses her soft skin. They both sigh heavily at the physical contact but they remain there, accepting each other’s company. The moment is brief as Gary can feel Chloe extract herself from his hands. His fingertips feel numb once he doesn’t sense her and all he can do is look at her in disappointment, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” The young musician sounded like she was trying to keep her voice from breaking. 

She quickly grabs the music sheets from the ground, never aware of when she had let go of them. Her mind was clouded in conflict and travelled her stare towards the blond man, “Whatever we had in Love Island is over, Gary. A holiday fling, is all it was.”

His blood went cold after hearing her call their history a fling when he certainly did not view it like that. It hurt him to hear from her consider their time at the villa as a pastime when each moment he had with Chloe felt blissful. He knew there was potential to allow their feelings to bloom and he didn’t want to let go of her, “Besides, I reckon you wouldn’t need to be reminded why I’d left the villa.” Chloe frowns angrily but Gary felt the ache in her sweet voice. 

She could see his lips pressing together to form a thin line; almost as if he was holding in his opposing views,“Just please, _go_. You’re not making things any easier. I’m not even supposed to be here and neither should you.” She smooths her hair out of stress and makes her way towards the stage exit. 

Chloe walks further down a hall without acknowledging anyone. All she wants is to be alone and soak into her emotions. Her heels click in a consistent pace until she finds a bathroom and shuts the door. She turns around and rests the back of her head against the door. Her chin lightly quivers and feels tears streaming down her face and her chest heaves in emotional sighs. Chloe pushes a shaky hand over her mouth to quiet down. All that’s heard are her muffled low cries. 

Gary…

Bloody Gary….

The dark haired pianist eventually settles her breathing and wipes off her dried tears. Seeing him again, especially so suddenly, made her relive past feelings. Emotions that she no longer wanted to deal with. Chloe’s fingers touch her warm cheeks and closes her eyes. She breathes in, barely a gasp, and recalls how Gary’s hands held on to her face with such care. Her skin tingles at what could’ve been a kiss he was aiming for. To feel those full lips of his against hers once more only gave her goosebumps. Even after leaving in bad terms and seeing each other for the first time in months, he couldn’t keep anything to himself. Gary was a bold and straight-forward man and he went for such an intimate move. That’s how he felt and wanted Chloe to know that he remained infatuated by her. 

Chloe frowns and finds disappointment in herself for even imagining kissing Gary again. He was part of the reason why she had left…but she couldn’t help but still feel this attraction towards him. There was something about that man that magnetises her to him and she had no control towards it. She exhales a heavy heartbroken and tired sigh, “What a shame things never worked out between us…” She quietly spoke to a non-existent Gary. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

** _The Next Morning: _ **

“Good morning, Chloe!” The older security guard waved at the young musician. She waved back at the man and passed through the gate and weakly returned a smile. She wished she could stay for a quick chat as it’s almost become a habit with the sweet older gentleman but today was not her day. 

As she’s makes her way towards her rehearsal station, Chloe rubs her temples with her fingers trying to relieve the stress she encountered last night. She slumps her shoulders and quietly groans, “I wasn’t expecting any of this coming here.” She mutters to herself. 

Chloe blankly stares at the distance and repeats last night’s surprise. She couldn’t help but cry herself to sleep after getting to her hotel room; it was just all too overwhelming. She tried distracting herself by watching the telly but nothing could keep her from thinking about Gary. She didn’t know what to think of their encounter. It was all too much of a coincidence and seeing how enthused he was to see her made her feel those unwanted butterflies. She laments a rigid breath from her dry lips. Chloe had to set aside her personal issues and focus on her work; she had no time to waste, especially during her recital. 

After settling down her belongings, she finally sits on the cushioned bench, ready for her rehearsal. Playing music was the only thing that can ease her burden and allow her to relax for a moment. The theatre director had announced that Chloe would need to practise a handful of other musical numbers from other famous ballet plays. She starts playing one of her favourites, the ballet of Romeo and Juliet, and sways her head to the music. Her fingers dictate the rhythm that the keys vibrate in harmony. 

Once she finishes, she sighs out of satisfaction and eases her shoulders. The wavy haired brunette positions herself for another one. She squints her eyes at the thought of another song, _‘Hmm…’_ She needed one that was a bit more of challenge and had to perform later tonight, “Oooh, I know which other one.” She said to herself. 

Her slim fingers begin to dance across the piano and slightly slouches her back as the music intensifies. Chloe’s bright eyes focused entirely on her song. She knew this music piece was one of the longer ones but she was thoroughly enjoying it. It embraced all magnitudes of emotions: dramatic, fear, hope, and romance. She knew she was conveying all of the notes correctly and gets lost into the symphonic melodies the piano was echoing in the area. 

The pianist loosens the tensity of shoulders once she finishes the song and smiles to herself. 

“…That was lovely.” Chloe widens her golden brown eyes at the sound of that voice. She knew exactly who it belonged to; her spine goes through a light shiver at the richness of his deep voice, just like last night. 

She turns her torso to the owner of the voice and sees Gary standing at the same spot she’d seen him yesterday. The only difference was that he had a simple t shirt and jeans. 

…

…

It was silent for a slight moment, just as Chloe tries to collect herself mentally. It took her a moment to acknowledge Gary’s presence again. She could not understand why he came to visit her. She thought he wouldn’t come back after the rejection she had given him last night, yet here he was… again. 

Chloe parted her lips to speak but no words came out instantly, “…I was just rehearsing and -” She briefly shook her head and had more questions than anything, “I’m sorry, what are you doing here? How did you bypass the security guard if the theatre is closed?” 

Gary grinned and shamelessly shrugged, “Told the nice security guard I had a delivery for a particular _mademoiselle_,” He gestures at an enclosed cup he had in one hand. Her eyes follow him coming up the stage and walking towards her. 

Chloe looks up at him as he stretches out the drink in hand, “I’d thought last night might have been difficult for you and I reckon a nice cuppa ought to do the trick this morning.” Her expressive eyes wonder from the cup to his face and sees a slight exhaustion surrounding his eyes; almost seemed like Gary might’ve had a rough night. 

Chloe reaches out for the cup and nods at the blond muscled man. She give him a small smile; almost faint that you could barely distinguish it. Gary’s fingers smooth out the stubble on his chin as he contemplates his next thought, “…Chloe, I’d like to have a chat about last night, if that’s okay with you.” 

She remains quiet but gives him a nod and slides to the very edge of her bench. There’s enough space on the other end for another person and signals Gary to sit next to her, “I think we need to clear things up, too.” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and all her attention is towards her ex-partner. 

Gary’s thick eyebrows lower and sharp blue eyes shift to glance at Chloe. Just for a moment, they sit in silence and they look at each other. They couldn’t understand how they ended up in each other’s paths again but considering all the drama from Love Island, this just had to be an accidental occurrence and nothing else…right? 

Gary takes a deep breath, “I’d like to apologise, love. I might’ve come too strong last night and hadn’t considered how you felt.” He breaks eye contact and looks down at his hands, “Seeing you here was so unexpected. I had a run of different emotions and my mind was spinning at the sight of you here.” 

“What I’m trying to say is that seeing you again makes me realise how much I’ve missed you…” Gary lingered his eyes back to Chloe and couldn’t tell what she was feeling. If only he knew her heart was beating harder at the sound of his endearing words and she wouldn’t want to admit it, but it was nice seeing him again. Chloe did think that she wasn’t going to see Gary again. 

Gary continued to talk and Chloe listened intently, “I know we didn’t leave in the best terms at Love Island but I want us to at least be mates. I reckon what we had was something special and I’d hate to lose that between us.” 

Chloe gulped at the word ‘mates’. She didn’t know how she felt about this. Did she like the idea of being friends? Even when he was one of the reasons why she’d left the villa? But she felt a knot in her throat at the mere thought of just remaining in a platonic friendship. That’s all it would ever be with Gary and it bothered her to know that it will only remain as that. 

She blinked and took a profound breath after hearing Gary’s apology. Chloe nodded understandingly but was on the fence about letting him into her life again, “Look, I appreciate you coming over and apologising but I-I don’t know…” She had to admit that she did miss him as well. Hearing more banter from Southeast’s finest wouldn’t be that bad, right? Chloe notices Gary’s body stiffen as he’s not digesting her response. She quails at her rejection towards the blond and immediately regrets what she says. 

He scratches his head avoids eye contact from the soloist, “Don’t worry about. Guess it was worth a shot…” 

Gary hears a heavy sigh from the ex-Islander, “Let’s just see how things go, yeah? I can’t think of us as friends right now but can be…” She scrunches her upper lip, trying to find the correct word but there’s no luck. 

He gives her a sincere smile and helps her out, “…We can be half-mates?” 

She amusingly puffs air out of her nose and nods, “Yeah, half-mates, that sounds appropriate.”

Chloe’s hands grip onto the cardboard cup full of tea and took a small sip, “Thank you for the tea, by the way.” 

“Don’t mention it. Figured you might need it since you’ve got a performance tonight. You’ll need all the energy to rehearse.” 

She tilts her head to the side, eyeing Gary. A soft smile slightly lifts the apple of her cheeks and finds it amusing to see his concern towards her all around health, “I reckon I’d do alright. I’ve just finished practising the harder pieces.” 

His familiar grin extends and nods, “So I’ve heard. You never told me back at the villa about your piano skills. I rate that.” 

Chloe shrugged, “It was never my employment. I did go to school to study both cello and piano but the theatre in London was looking for a cellist. My director has known about my piano skills and offered this opportunity to perform here for a few days.” 

Gary intently listened to the ex-Islander and nodded out of acknowledgement, “I see. Well, I’m glad it was here. We got to see each other again.” Chloe tries to hide the small smile and reverts her attention to her piano. He was very confusing; she didn’t know if he was unintentionally flirting or just being nice. Whatever it was, she needed to put a stop to it. 

The bearded blond changes the subject and joins his focus on the large instrument with Chloe, “So, any favourites you’d like to share? I’ve always wanted to ask you this.” He waited for her answer and only saw her eyebrows rise at the question. 

“You want to hear my favourites? Really?” A smirk curves her lips at him, “I thought you said this wasn’t your kind of thing.” She playfully sneers at the spiked haired man. 

Gary chuckles and returns the smirk, “True, but I like it when _you_ play music.” 

“Okay, well there’s this one…” She poses her hands above the keys and starts playing a song Gary’s heard before; surely, from his nan’s vintage films he’s seen with her. He admires the talent as the young pianist sways her hands by the notes that ringed their ears. He observed every facial expression she would make as she merged herself into the harmonic notes.

Just as she finishes the song, she turns to look at Gary and he looks content with the private concert. He gives her a peaceful smile and sees the delighted sparkle in her bright amber eyes after playing the piano. It warmed his heart to see her happy with her job. He could only imagine feeling Chloe’s exact satisfaction but with his job; whenever he would maneuver his crane operating machines, he felt complete, “You’ve got quite the talent, haven’t you? I’ve never been this close to a piano until now. What’s the name of that song?” 

“Claire De Lune…it’s a beautiful piece, innit?” She breathes deeply out of satisfaction of the timeless classic. 

Gary raises his dark eyebrows, fascinated at how natural the title of the song rolled off her tongue, “That’s an impressive pronunciation you’ve got there."

“_Merci_” She wittingly took his compliment and watched Gary respond with an amused opened smile and continues to listen to her, “It’s French for ‘Moonlight’.” She extends her arm out to the top front of the piano and arranged her music sheets for her next practise. 

As they remain quiet for a bit, her head turns to Gary as he carries on with the chat,“… You speak French, then?” 

She nods, “Just enough to get by my family’s holidays in France. They’re quite chatty.” 

_‘So she’s French, huh?’ _The blond ex-Islander grins at the knowledge of Chloe’s heritage. Of course, she came from a country where women were considered quite beautiful. Her type of beauty was not typical; in fact, she carried this gracious and unique beauty he’s never laid eyes on until he’d met her. But what made her more attractive was how modest she carried herself. She’s always been a fashion forward girl but she probably doesn’t realise how many heads she can turn. He had to admit, it was quite evident when they were in the villa. Every time a new bloke was introduced, they’d go after her. He was never the jealous type but there was a time when he hadn’t known if they would work out; the competition was fierce for him. 

Gary’s deep blue eyes fixated on her and took his time to admire every detail of her impeccably sculpted face. He could stare at her for ages and never tire of such class. Chloe bows her head and looks down at her shoes, in attempt to hide her blushed cheeks. She couldn’t keep up with such an intense stare. Even though she’s broken eye contact, she could still feel his eyes goggle her entirely. 

Chloe clears her throat and breaks the silent tension, “I’ve a rehearsal to finish and there’s a meeting I’ll have to attend in a bit.” 

Even though he smiled at her comment, Chloe could tell there was a tad of letdown shaking in his pupils; as if he didn’t want to leave just yet, “Right then…” He presses his hands on his knees as he makes the effort to stand up. She eyes him and angles her head to the side; Gary seems like he wanted to get something off his chest. 

He runs his hand through his spiked hair, not even messing it up, and thoughtfully looks down at the musician, “…Considering you’re here in Chatham, I was wondering if you’d accept a personal tour guide from yours truly.” 

Chloe opens her mouth to respond but Gary tries to add more persuasion, “It’s not everyday you get a fit bloke to offer you a private tour of his hometown.” He give her a cheeky grin. 

She rolls her eyes and laughs at his banter, “Let me think about it.” 

“Fair enough. Have you got your phone on you?” 

“Yeah, why?” She gives him a curious look and sees his palm extend to her. 

“Hand it over, mate. How else are you letting me know.” He looks down and quickly moves his thumbs over the screen adding his phone number, “There! Text me once you’ve made up your mind, love.” She looks up at him again and gives her a wink. 

Gary hands her phone back to her and says his goodbyes to her. Just as she sees him walk towards the exit, Chloe looks at her screen and sees his phone number under her contact list now. 

She hums out a breath she’s had stored from chest and contemplates Gary’s invite while she practised for tonight’s performance. Chloe had to set aside her thoughts on the charming ex-Islander for the sake of tonight’s showing. She’ll just have to deal with that later. 

——————————————————————————————————————————

** _Later in the Evening: _ **

After another successful night, Chloe slumps her tired body onto her bed and wiggles her ankles to slide off her heels. The cool duvet creeps all over her back and shifts her eyes to the side. She spots her phone and remembers Gary adding his phone number. She sits up and rests her back on the headboard and hesitates to reach out for the device. 

The bright light of the screen illuminates her face and taps on her contact list. There it was - **Gary **\- it said. Chloe bites the corner of her bottom lip as she thinks about texting him, “No, Chloe…” She lectures herself, “Steady on, let’s put boundaries here. We’ve only agreed to be mates, half-mates!” She drums her fingers at the back of her phone and turns it on again. 

The dark haired woman taps through the list of her friends from back home and sent them a text. After waiting a while for a response, she comes to terms with them not answering all night. Who was she fooling? All her friends back in London were most likely out on a Saturday night. 

She slumps her shoulders out of defeat, “Ugh…I’m such a loner.” She glances at her phone again. 

Chloe grips onto her cell and begins typing. She turns off her phone and fiddles with it out of nerves. A few minutes pass by and feels her device suddenly vibrate. She opens the notification and stops breathing for a second, ‘_He texted me back…_’ She thought. Her eyes scan the message…

She raises her sharp eyebrows and pouts out of confusion. Considering the mix signals she was giving Gary, she understood why he mentioned that. Her thumbs move across the screen, trying her message. 

Shortly after she sent her message, her phone chimes at Gary’s message. Her eyes carefully move side to side as she’s reading. 

A small smile lifts her cheeks at the last thing he mentioned. It made her recall how he’d graft on her in Love Island; he would say the sweetest things and seems like he still does. Chloe tucks in her loose hair behind her ear and starts shifting her thumbs again as she types.

Another vibration stirs in her phone and reads what he’s sent. 

Her fingertips rub her bottom lip as she thinks about the the night out with Gary. Chloe frowns and gapes at his last comment…it’s still there. 

The dark haired musician shakes her head at her stupid move to text him, “No, no! Why did I text him?! I told myself I would keep my distance.” Her palm lands on her forehead and groans as she squeezes her eyes shut. 

After staring at his offering for the next few minutes, she texted back. Chloe tossed the phone to her side and shoved her hands in her face. She knew her answer was going against her own promise but she wasn’t going to be rude either. He’d been quite the charmer lately and despite what’s happened in the past, Chloe was willing to give Gary the chance to befriend her. 

Her thoughts were interrupted at the loud sound of her phone. Chloe swipes up to see the message and struggles to avoid her heart happily thumping out of her chest at the sight of his response. 

It was happening; Chloe was going out with Gary tonight. 


	3. Eyes on Fire

Chloe runs her fingers through her scalp, in attempt to fluff up the volume of her locks. She poses sideways on the long mirror, making sure that her outfit is intact. The off shoulders blouse complimented her feminine torso, along with a pair of high rise shorts that highlighted her toned legs. Chloe smiled to herself and nodded out of approval, “I wonder how tonight will go…” 

Her head turns at the sound of her phone and sees a text from Gary; he’s here. She gathers her purse and walks out her door heading towards the entrance. The blond man has his back leaned on his vehicle while his fingers fiddled with his car keys. He spots the petite musician and his smile illuminates his face, “Alright, Chloe?” 

She couldn’t help but smile back at Gary and his eagerness; he almost looks endearing with ecstatic bright eyes that hid behind his black frames. Gary had to be honest: he was well excited to have a night out with Chloe. He knew it was going to be different from the days he’d spent with her in the villa but being with her tonight and taking her out seemed too surreal, “You’re looking ace in that outfit, mate.” She feels his eyes travel from her legs up to her face and smirks at her. The muscled blond kept his thoughts to himself but all he could think was how undoubtedly sexy she looked right now. She never failed to impress and tonight was no exception. 

A short laugh pipes out of Chloe’s lips and nods, “Thank you! Hard to believe but I could not find an outfit for the occasion. All I’ve packed was work-related! Lucky was I to have found this in my suitcase.”

Gary steps closer to her and thoughtfully stares into her big sunny coloured eyes, “You look beautiful in anything, darling. Even in pyjamas, I can spot your glamour.” 

There’s a brief silence as Chloe looks down at her heels and doesn’t know how to respond to his compliment; his loving gaze lingered on her. It’s a good thing it’s dark outside, otherwise he would have noticed Chloe’s flustered face. Gary clears his throat, “Shall we get going?” He signals her to the passenger door and she nods. 

Just as she slides her body into the vehicle, Gary does the same on the other side. Gary ignites the engine and glances at the brunette, “How was tonight? I reckon you’ve left everyone impressed.” 

“It went great, actually. Chatham is considerably a small city but it made me happy to see so many people gathered in the theatre for the showing.” She leans her back on the seat and sneaks a glimpse at Gary’s concentrated face towards the road. She rests her palm under her chin and uses her fingers to cover her small smile. 

Gary slipped a quick peek and sees her staring at him. He couldn’t help but grin at her, “My nan always told me that if a girl is staring at you, it’s cos she well fancies you or she finds you to be a weird lad. Which one is it?” 

Chloe shakes her head as she lightly laughs at both extremed options, “Your nan says that, huh? Well, she’s not wrong. It’s just that you scrunch your nose while you drive.” 

He opens his mouth to speak but seals it shut as he reconsiders her perspective, “…That’s an interesting observation. I’ve never really put much thought into what I do while I drive.” He raises his thick dark eyebrows and has an expectant look on his face, “…But you haven’t answered my question, love.” 

Chloe hums out a sigh and crosses her arms, “Let’s just say you are not a boring sight to see.” She waits for his response to only view the back of his fingers smooth out the stubble on his cheek and finally chuckles. 

“Reckon I’ll have to work harder for a concrete response then.” He finally arrives at what seems to be a pub. They both climb out of the vehicle and enter the small business. The place is filled with people considering it’s a Saturday night. Gary guides Chloe to a corner where they see a group of young men sitting and chatting up, “Alright, lads?” Gary speaks loud enough for his mates to hear. 

They all turn to the ex-Islanders’ direction and call Gary’s name. As they get up, they greet the spiked haired blond until one man in specific approaches him last. Him and Gary share a hug and pat each in the back, “Glad you could make it, bruv. We almost thought you’d gone off with someone else for the night.” 

Gary chuckles at his friend’s comment, “Well, sort of. I did bring us some nice company.” He moves to Chloe’s side and looks at his friend, “Dicky, this is Chloe; Chloe, this is Dicky. He’s one of my good mates, a proper laugh to have around.” 

Chloe smiles at the man and sticks her hand out to shakes his. Dicky instead grabs onto her wrist and lightly pulls her into a big hug, “Chloe! It’s nice to finally meet you.” The dark haired girl widens her eyes out of surprise but smiles at how friendly he was. 

“Likewise, Dicky.” She softly pats his back and feels his arms let go of her. She observes Gary’s friends and comes to a conclusion that they all have a very similar personality type of aura. It surely felt like there was a table full of different version of Gary. 

Chloe turns to see Gary smiling and puts his arm around her, “Sorry about Dicky here. He’s not very good at impressing pretty ladies.” 

She raises an eyebrow makes the effort to hide her coy smirk by biting her lower lip, “I could almost say the same thing about you.” 

The brawny blond loosens his shoulders and instantly turns his head to Chloe’s sly comment. They immediately hear Dicky snicker at Chloe’s comeback, “I like her, mate. She’s got nice banter…” 

Gary shakes his head and laughs with them, “I knew she wouldn’t disappoint.” He reverts his attention to Chloe, “Fancy a pint?” 

She puts an interested face and nods, “Yes, please.” 

Just as Gary walks over to the bar counter, Dicky takes her to the seating booth, “Over here, Chloe.”

The young pianist sits beside Dicky as he had signaled her to sit next to him, “I’d like to have a proper chat with Gary’s bird—”

Chloe blinks a couple of times and gives him a strained smile, “We’re not together, actually. Just mates is all.” 

“Oh, right then, sorry. It’s just that…” Dicky looks at the brunette beauty and thought he had seen a tad of melancholy lingering in her amber eyes, “…I’ve been used to hearing this lad chat about you so much; almost feels like I know you.”

_‘He’s chatted about me? With his friends?’ _All that is felt is her heart fluttering at Dicky’s statement. Even after leaving the villa and having no communication with Gary since their farewell, he continued to remember her. She begins to ponder what Gary’s said about her. Most importantly, what his friends thought about her. 

“Really?” 

Dicky nods knowingly and leans closer to her, “Between you and me, he’s smitten by you…”

Chloe eyes shakes ever so faintly and stares down at the wooden table, closely listening to Gary’s friend, “I’ve heard what’s happened in Love Island and why you left but when you can, give the bloke the chance to explain himself. I reckon it can be hard to take my advice considering he’s my mate but I wanted to let you know he’d do anything to make things right.” 

Chloe remains quiet after hearing Dicky’s take in the situation. She didn’t know what to think; in fact, she was left with more things to ponder about. She looks up at the young man and gives her a sincere look. Chloe responds with a smile and nods, “Thank you, I’ll surely think about it.” 

Until now, has she noticed Dicky’s body loosen up as he was stiff throughout the entire conversation. He gestures his hand towards his forehead out of relief, “Whew, glad I’ve gotten that off my chest. I didn’t mean to go all serious on you…” He lets out a nervous laugh.

She shrugs and offers him an earnest smile as she laughs off the tension, “Don’t worry about it. I appreciate you trying to clear things up for us. Just shows how much you care for him.”

They both look at Gary talking to the man handing him the drinks. The bartender laughs with the spiked haired blond, seeming as if he’s thrown another of his jokes. Dicky grabs Chloe’s attention and up nods towards the ex-Islander, “We joke around the majority of the time but I’d go through hell for that lad. We’ve been through thick and thin…”

“Anyways! Enough about us.” He waves his hand out of dismissal towards the last conversation, “He’s told me you’re a musician. That’s impressive! I’d surely break an instrument if I tried playing one.” He puts a concerned look on his face but sees her squint her eyes. 

A low shiver goes through her at the thought of her instruments suffering from any damages. They’re damn expensive! “Remind me to not have you come near my cello.” They both cackle out loud and turn their heads at the sound of heavy glass lightly thud against the table. 

Gary makes his way to the booth and sits next to his ex-partner. His arm swings behind Chloe and rests it on the cushioned seat, “Oi oi, you two! What have I missed?” 

“Ah nothing. Chloe was just telling me about being a musician…” 

“Mate, she’s bloody brilliant with music. She works for that National Theatre in London. I reckon she’s the best cellist out of the lot.” Gary leans closer to Chloe and winks at her. 

She playfully rolls her eyes at his effort to compliment her, “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m the most talented musician—”

“A real modest girl, you are.” Gary shakes his head; Chloe could tell he was disagreeing with her. He turns his attention to Dicky and the rest of his friends, “That posh blind date you’d set up as a prank worked like a charmer. Who would’ve thought I’d encounter her again. Turns out Chloe’s been sent here to perform as the pianist.” Gary proudly glorified Chloe’s talents as if it were his own. All she could do is sink lower into her seat and listen to his friend’s chuckle at his enthusiasm. 

Everyone could tell she was trying to dismiss all amount of praise. She then hears one of the guys at the other end of the table groaning at Gary’s chat, “Mate, you’ve chatted our ears out about this already!” 

Their laugher gets rowdier and Chloe widens her bright eyes at Gary. She almost feels sorry for him as there’s a slight tint of blush creeping onto his cheeks. He didn’t think his friends would expose him like this with the girl they know he fancies. He lets them laugh it out until he detects the continuous banter; they just won’t seem to let it go. The blond grumbles under his breath and has an annoyed frown, “Come off it, lads!” 

Chloe can’t help but giggle with them. She sees Gary getting frustrated at everyone and she uses her hand to soothe his back; he’s still muttering under his breath. She instantly felt his tense muscles relax at her touch, “You’ve told them about me?” She asked curiously. Chloe struggles to avoid the evident spark that zapped through her skin as she continues to smooth his back

Gary smiles sheepishly and brings all his attention to her, “…I just…couldn’t believe seeing you again, if I’m honest. I sort of got carried away and told my mates.” 

He sees her remain quiet but has a hard time to determine what she thought of what he’s said. Gary only hoped this wouldn’t tarnish the effort of rebuilding their friendship.

After a while of drinks and more banter, the boys decided to walk Chloe to a nearby nightclub to finish their evening. Once they’ve arrive, their instant sight is a dark interior with coloured lights flashing at all angles. The music was upbeat and contagiously rhythmic. 

The nightclub was too loud to have any conversation, Gary leans into Chloe’s ear and points to a specific spot where they could sit, “Let’s go over there, yeah? I reckon it’s got a decent view.” 

Chloe settles herself in the cushioned lounge seating area and scans the entire place. Some of Gary’s friends were already cracking on with some girls and a couple of them chilled at the lounge with her. People danced in groups, others danced in pairs, and a lot of them were in corners snogging. Her thoughts are interrupted at the sight of Gary slumping his body beside hers. He cocks his head towards her and gleefully beams at her and bops his head to the music. He sees her swaying her shoulders side to side and giggles at the wacky dad moves he was making, “Please, my father can wiggle better than that, mate.” She teases him. 

Gary follows Chloe’s distracted eyes to both see a shadow hovering over them. It’s a young handsome man with dark hair and is strong built. He flashes the London girl a flirty smile, “Alright, gorgeous?” 

Chloe smiles back, “Hi, how are you doing?” 

He extends his smirk, “Better now that we’re chatting.” 

She rolls her eyes and keeps her smile in place, “Right. Haven’t heard that line before…” 

The man chuckles at her sarcastic remark and comes closer to her, “I was wondering if you’d like some bubbles? Maybe a dance?” 

She curls her upper lip to the side and agrees, “I see…I’ve had enough alcohol for tonight but I’ll accept the dance.” 

The stranger extends his hand and Chloe reaches for it. She gets up and walks with him towards the dance floor. She looks over her shoulder to spot Gary still seated where she was. Chloe gives him a small smile and he returns it. 

Gary leans his back against the seat. All his eyes could do was follow wherever that man was taking his ex-Love Island partner. He then felt a firm hands squeeze his shoulder, “How are you holding up, bruv?” 

The muscled blond shifts his head to the side to see Dicky, “Yeah! Everything’s fine.” 

“Come on, Gary. You’ve gone all tense. Chloe is just enjoying a quick dance with that lad.” Dicky was trying to comfort his friend but observed Gary not paying much attention to him; rather he was distracted by the way Chloe’s hips were nearly touching the man’s pelvis. 

He furrows his dark eyebrows and ticks his tongue, “I’m not bothered.” Gary was stubborn enough to not acknowledge his jaw clenched since she’s gone off with a random man. 

“Mate, let’s just go chat up a bird for you, eh? I’m sure you’ll feel better.” Dicky pushes Gary off the seat and guides him towards the dance floor. It’s almost immediate that Gary caught a girl’s attention and up nods him as a sign to dance with him. 

Just as he approaches the girl with a curled smirk, she starts grinding against him. He follows her rhythm and feels her hand rest against his shoulder as she looks down at their hips almost meeting. He wasn’t completely into it but it was a decent distraction from the unappealing view he had earlier. 

His eyes couldn’t help but notice Chloe and her dance partner a couple feet away. She seemed quite pleased with his company and it seemed like the feeling was mutual for the stranger. Gary continues to dance with the young woman and guides her closer to Chloe’s direction. Just as they are close enough, Gary nods as a silent greet towards the man holding Chloe and signals with his finger to switch partners. 

Eventually, they switch girls and the tattooed brawny man makes his way towards Chloe. She carries a diverted expression in her face and smiles at Gary. Their dance moves were not the typical grinding that everyone else was doing. They naturally wiggle to the beat of the music together in sync. As they sway side to side, he could hear a soft giggle coming from the dark haired girl. It made him euphoric to see her happy. He knew he couldn’t recover what’s happened in the villa but he felt fortunate to have a moment like this with her; even if it was completely platonic. He wished to make up every time lost with her. Just seeing a simple gleam of hers was enough to feed himself energy. 

They hadn’t realised when the upbeat music had changed into a slower tune. They stood there, looking at one another, not knowing how to approach each other to this rhythm. Well they _did _know but… 

…but it’s best to just go back and be seated. They remained there, still holding their gaze. Chloe seemed hesitant and takes a step back. As she is about to leave, she feels a strong, familiar hand engulf hers. She tilts her head to see Gary stop her. He invites her in and lightly pulls her closer to him. She looks up at his deep blue eyes and glances at his smirk, “Just one more dance, hm?” 

All she could do was stare at his handsome face as she searched for her indecisive thoughts. Chloe had to understand how to arrange her mixed emotions; this was all troublesome for her. She scolded herself for allowing Gary in so quickly into her life. She’s just seen him yesterday and is already going out and meeting his close friends. 

But then again, she did agree to be half-mates with him, right? They’re just a couple of friends having a good time with one another. Her eyes unintentionally gloom and Gary takes a notice to her silence. He frowns, “We don’t have to dance, love. I get it if you don’t feel comfortable. _I _don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything.” 

Her honey coloured eyes look up at him again and faults herself for making him feel any ounce of guilt. It just wasn’t fair to him; Gary has been nothing but fun and respectful. Chloe shakes her head and parts her lips as she finds the correct words for him, “No, no! You’ve done nothing wrong…” Her gaze lingers around his face and offers him a genuine smile. She takes his heavy hands and guides them to her waist and feels this indisputable tingle around her body and has no clue how to dismiss such a lovely feeling. Gary initially is confused at her inconsistent decision-making but allows her to lead them. 

Just as their hips are joined, they naturally follow to each other’s movements. Her hands rest against his strong shoulders and glide down to his biceps. Chloe’s eyes travel up to view his face. She never realised Gary keeping his entire sight and attention on her and only her. His eyes felt so intense, peering right through hers and she couldn’t lie to herself; she’d reciprocated the same energy to him. Her beauty fascinated him and couldn’t help himself but softly pull her closer to his body. Gary hears her intake a sharp breath at his intimate gesture. 

Gary’s strong arms wrapped around her waist, creating a loving embrace between the two former islanders. Chloe rests her cheek against his as she can feel facial hair lightly poke her skin. She closes her eyes and, for a mere moment, she wanted to remember the good times she’s had with him. How inviting Chloe used to feel in his arms and how every time they’d embrace, Gary would run a hand up the curve of her back…just like he was doing that right now. Goodness, she only hopes he hasn’t felt her body slightly tremble out response to his touches. 

The muscled blond missed all of her. She had fit perfectly in his arms and didn’t want to let go — at least not yet. The warmth of her skin fulfilled that need Gary had ever since she’d abandoned Spain. That same night, seeing her packing her bags while crying made him realise how much of an impact she’s done to him. It was his first time seeing her in full tears and it stung his chest to know _he_ was the reason why she was distraught.

And that same night, there was a recoupling and he despised it; he despised himself and despised others in the villa. It was the first time he hadn’t seen her standing with the rest of the girls and the first time he’d end up with someone else. Bloody hell, he’d missed her so much. Gary knew the odds of ever running into the beautiful cellist…yet here she was with him. The single idea of never encountering Chloe again made his hands get a firmer grip onto her, as if she was about to disappear. He truly didn’t want to let go of her and was even frightened to realise this may all be a silly illusion of his. 

Gary subconsciously buried his nose at the crook of her neck, inhaling her soft floral scent that he’s craved so much. Without another thought, his lips softly rub against her skin and hums under his breath. They hadn’t noticed when they stopped dancing at some point and stood there in each other’s company and Chloe heavily breathes. 

She’s forgotten how alluring and magnetic Gary was, how passionate he used to be with her. His lips still lingered on her neck as all he did was graze them against her smooth skin. No kisses, nothing; all he wanted was to feel her—remember Chloe’s involuntary lure towards him. 

Chloe pushes herself off of him and avoids his eyes. Her heart thundered loudly against her chest and all she could do was look anywhere else that wasn’t Gary’s direction. Her neck still burned after he caressed his lips on her; never was she expecting this to happen. She immediately walks passed the spiked haired man and made her way to where she was last seated. Her hands grab onto her belongings and blocks anyone who’s called her name. 

“Chloe? Chloe!” Dicky called out to her with concerned eyes. It was abnormal to see her suddenly upset. She seemed to be enjoying the night and only wondered what could have happened. He was about to follow her until he sees Gary storm out right behind her. He gradually sits back down while his face deepened with more anxiousness, “Gary, what have you done, mate…” 

* * *

Chloe’s made it outside and doesn’t know where to go. Her head was spinning, she’s trying to fight tears from falling out of her glossed eyes, her chest felt heavier with each emotional breath…this was all too much. 

She turns around to see Gary right behind her. His blue eyes carry misery at the sight of his ex-Love Island partner’s tears. Those same bloody tears he’s caused once again, “Chloe…” He lowers his head and tightens his lips out of frustration at himself, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I—”

“You’d insisted in becoming mates, you _knew_ I didn’t agree but being the idiot that I am, I agreed,” She resentfully spits out her words. Angry and sentimental golden eyes look up at him and sees his frown deepen, “I wouldn’t put it passed you to just continue to mock me the same way you did in the villa.” 

His lengthy eyebrows furrowed together and his jaw tightens out of impulsed anger. He’d normally walk out of an argument but it stung him to hear her express herself about him like that. It didn’t help that she was as stubborn as he was. He steps closer to her and looks her directly into her eyes. There’s even a sheen of heartache lingering within his pupils shining under the street lights, “I would never mock something this important to me.” 

Chloe laughs bitterly and crosses her arms, “If I was so important to you, we would be under different circumstances.” 

Just as the petite brunette turns around to leave, she feels Gary’s strong hand grip onto her upper arm, “Chloe, if you’d let me explain—”

“Explain what, hmm? That even after all the trust you’ve asked me to put in you, you’ve to gone off and betrayed me.” She chokes at the end just as she tries to suppress herself from crying again. This was all too embarrassing as it was in public. Thank goodness no one seemed to be around, “Let go of me, please. I’d like to make my way back to my hotel.”

Gary releases her arm and rests his hands on each side of his waist, “Let me at least take back to your hotel room, love. It would be wrongful of me to leave you all alone. Plus, it would quite a walk from here.”

She stood there thinking about the distance of what would be her walk and pouts. Her feet were killing her with the shoes she’s selected. As much as she didn’t want to surrender, seems like she might have to this time. She blew a bit of air out of her lips to move a hair strand laying right over her eye, “…Fine.” 

The entire way from getting to his car and the ride back to her hotel was silent. All they could hear was their breathing and the sound of the muffled engine running. No words were exchanged; Chloe had her arms crossed looking out the window and Gary focused on his driving but all his concerns were directed towards the London soloist. He eyed the young woman behind his black frames and sulks at the sight of her anger. 

He shakes his head and know he’s screwed up. Damn it, there was no way he’d make her listen. 

They’ve finally arrived and Chloe immediately opens the door. She dangles one leg out the vehicle until she’s stopped by the muscled man’s voice, “Chloe…I-I’m sorry, really sorry.” He weakly exasperated under his breath. He waits for a response from her as she only looks down at her denim shorts. Without another word or glance at him, she closes the door and heads straight to the entrance. 

Gary stares out at her body disappearing after the automatic slide doors close when she’s entered the lobby. He rests the back of his head against the seat’s headrest. He never thought this night would have ended like this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank all of you for supporting this story. I never thought I'd get people interested. You guys fuel me to continue with this messy story lol I've been contemplating about adding smut for the future. I'll leave it up to you guys. Let me know if you are okay with Gary x MC smut, if you rather not have it, whatever you wanna tell me! If I had smut, it might be a bit rusty so just a heads up haha but please let me know! I'd love to hear from you all!


	4. Slow Life

Chloe groans at the irritating sound of her phone going off. She’s forgotten to turn off her alarm and all she wanted to do was sulk in her bed after the events of last night.

She tiredly sits up and rubs her fingers against her sleepy eyes. Chloe looks around to see where she’s left her phone and spots it. She drowsily rolls hey eyes and finds it too much of a challenge to get her body to stand up. Her feet meet the cold wooden floor and makes her way towards the table where her phone buzzed uncontrollably, “Stupid alarm…” She mutters under her breath as she turns it off. 

The young musician found it out of character of her to wake up in such a grumpy mood. Mornings were her favourite part of the day; she loved seeing the sunrise and starting her day with a nice cup of tea or coffee. She always felt energised but today was completely different; almost strange. She felt like all her strength and power has been sucked out of her. She hated this feeling and didn’t know how to make it go away. 

Chloe shakes her head as an attempt to remove all the negativity from her head. There was no work to distract her with. It almost felt like there was no escape from her thoughts about last night. All she could think about was Gary and their argument. She recalled feeling Gary’s eyes glued to her before she stormed out of his car. She knew the danger her heart would go through if she had stayed with Gary; if she allowed him to continue to embrace her at the nightclub. Chloe lets out a deep sigh as she guides herself towards the bathroom sink. She’s in front of the large mirror and Chloe stares at herself. Her hair is disheveled and her eyes are red due to the lack of rest, “What have I gotten myself into…” 

* * *

After a couple of hours of some relaxation and showering, Chloe managed to think deeply and thoroughly about her rocky situation with Gary. There was still too much tension between them to attempt a friendship. This whole delusion of remaining as friends was a mistake and she had to end whatever they had going on. Her finger traces the top of her mug as she feels the steam of her drink warm her skin. She’s still deep in thought…

_‘Between you and me, he’s smitten by you…’ _

Her shoulders slouch at Dicky’s words constantly ringing in her ears. Why would he say that to her? He wouldn’t gain anything if he’s mentioned her that, right? There was so much to all of this; it was tough to keep up with. Chloe hadn’t known what to believe but all she could do was follow what her head would suggest and that’s to break things off with Gary. 

Her hand reaches for her mobile device and stares at what said ‘Gary’ on her contact list. Until now she realises her uneven breathing. She did not comprehend her nervousness at calling the blond man. She had every right to feel upset at him yet there was something tugging her chest at the idea of never seeing him again. 

The phone keeps ringing and continues to wait without receiving any answer. The more she hears the sound of the muffled ringing, the more anxious she got. Just as Chloe was about to hang up, the continuous sound of the ring was replaced by a baritone familiar voice; her ear feels the rumble of his rich vocals caressing her ear. Her grip on the phone gets tighter and gulps at the struggle to find her voice, “_…Chloe?_” 

She parted her lips and attempts to answer, “Y-Yes, sorry. I hope I haven’t disrupted your morning…” 

The brunette musician hears his short chuckle coming from the other end of the line, “_Don’t worry about it, mate. You’re never a disruption to me._”

She hums out to clear her throat and doesn’t know how to approach the reasoning of her call. Gary speaks out to her and interrupts her thoughts once more, “_You alright, love? I reckon you might have called me by mistake…,_” There’s a fragment of sadness that lingered out of his last sentence and Chloe’s conflicted eyes look down at her unfinished tea. 

She’s remained with silence and lets out a sigh, “I was just…wondering if you’d fancy a chat? I think we need to discuss what’s happened last night.” 

All she could feel was her heart thundering hard against her chest as she waits for Gary’s response. He was quiet for a few seconds and only wondered what he’s thinking of, “_Of course. Just say when and where.” _

“If it’s not much of a bother, you can come here to my room and perhaps in the next hour?” 

“_Right then. I’ll see you later, Chloe._”

The dark haired girl rests her back against her chair and crosses her arms. She couldn’t do it over the phone. It did not feel prudent and it was best to cut ties with him personally. She’s taken a deep breath to stabalise her emotions. She asks herself why she feels saddened at her upcoming conversation with Gary. It’s what he deserves after such an uneventful night she experienced at the villa. All her illusions of finding love again and thinking someone like Gary would ever settle down… she scoffs at how blinded she’s been. 

All those sweet things he’d whisper to her, all those kisses and caresses he’d gift her; it was all surely his methods to get what he wanted. And like the gullible girl that she is, she gave in and trusted him. Chloe never got to learn her lesson with men; they have always ended up hurting her. 

Her chin quivers out of pure heartache and rage from what’s been experienced at the villa. She was a fool, a complete and utter puppet that was meant to only entertain. Rapid flashbacks squirmed around her head and feels a few hot tears stream down to trace her cheekbones. Her fingers wipe off her distress and finishes her lukewarm drink. 

* * *

Chloe lingers around the small kitchen and washes up a few of the used mugs and plates. It’s been a little over an hour since she’s agreed with Gary to meet her at her hotel room. She couldn’t help but think about their pending conversation. She only wondered how she’ll approach the subject. When will it be appropriate to bring it up? How should she bring it up? 

An unexpected knock is heard coming from her front door and interferes with her pondering. She quickly dries her hands with one of the kitchen towels and approaches the entrance. 

Chloe swings the door open and it’s instantly replaced by a handsome spiked haired ex-Islander looking slightly down at her. There wasn’t any way to remove what’s been felt in her chest. She hated to feel this familiar warm tingle that spread all over her body; it was same bloody feeling she recalled sensing when they had first met. Seeing him in front her so suddenly made her intake a sharp yet quiet gasp; his presence was strong and vibrant, “Gary…” She gives him a reserved nod. 

He responds with a bright smile, “Good morning, stranger.” He sees her signal him into her temporary stay and steps inside. His eyes can’t help but roam around his surroundings and whistles out of impression, “Now this is what I call a posh hotel room.” The blond man turns around to spot Chloe looking a bit embarrassed from his comment and she rubs her arm, “It’s exactly what a talented musician deserves if she’s sent to Kent to perform,” He gives her a wink along with his compliment and forgets he’s carrying a box and two drinks. 

“I’ve figured a nice cup of coffee and pastries could do no harm…” He settles the offerings on the counter and glances at the petite woman, “I’ve gone a bit peckish and my nan has always told me it’s best to share.” 

She knew Gary was trying his best to ease up on a conversation considering their last encounter and she only concluded that she needed to make the same effort. A small smile curls her mouth, “That’s very thoughtful of you, thank you.” 

Gary visibly relaxes after she approaches the pastries and beverages. Instead she takes them to the other side of the room and sets it near a couch. Her head turns to Gary’s direction and still sees him standing near the entrance. The brunette beauty softly giggles and shakes her head, “Come here. You know I don’t bite.” 

A grin spreads through his lips and laughs at her typical teasing; he adored how easy-going she always was. Gary saunters over to the musician’s direction and takes a seat on the cushioned couch. Gary’s eyes follow Chloe and she sits next to him. She extends her arm out to him and hands over one of the warm cups he’s brought. 

Just as she was about to speak, Gary beats her to it, “Thanks, by the way. For reaching out and wanting to have a chat.” He looks down at his coffee and Chloe spots his fingers lightly drumming against the side of his cup, as if he was thinking how else to approach her. Gary found her to be a challenging girl. She was the typical Chloe; fun, full of banter, loving, and empathetic but after encountering her here in his hometown, she’s sometimes been a bit distant—maybe even cold towards him. Gary couldn’t judge her behaviour; hell, he never expected her to agree being half-mates. 

“You don’t have to thank me, Gary.” She smiles at him again but Gary notices a bit of discomfort wonder through her pupils, “I…I’d like to apologise for my reaction from last night.” 

Gary frowns at her and is confused, “Mate, there’s nothing you have to feel sorry for. I should be the one apologising. I was a right knob head for asking you to dance and…” He shakes his head out of disapproval, “…you know, I’m sorry. I really wish I could’ve stopped myself.” 

They were quiet for a short time as they enjoyed their hot drinks and Gary continued to scold himself while Chloe listened, “You had every right to feel upset and know if I were you, I would’ve given me a proper slap in the face.” 

His thick eyebrows raise out of bewilderment and gawks at Chloe almost spitting out her drink from her contained laughter, “What’s so funny?” He curiously asks. 

Her fingers cover her mouth and wipes the splash of coffee from her upper lip. Gary couldn’t help but smirk at her contagious laughter, “Sorry…I don’t know why I’ve imagined that.” 

Gary lowly chuckles at the possible scenery and leans his back against the couch. It almost felt like things were coming back to a normalcy level and appreciated Chloe trying to find banter in such a heavy situation like this one, “Reckon I deserve it, eh?” Gary asks while she nods her head as a response.

Their laughter slowly dies down to a comfortable silence as they eyed each other and smiled. Chloe leans closer to the handsome blond. It seemed like she was getting serious again and all Gary could do was study her intently, “Look, I’ve asked you to come here to talk about what’s happened yesterday. Considering how inconsistent this has been, I was thinking it’d be best to…” Chloe gulps and feels how dry her mouth suddenly felt, “…to stop whatever it is we have going on.” 

She waited to hear a response from him but all Chloe could see was his frown deepening and his shaky clear eyes don’t know where to look. There was a knot in her stomach after she proposed to no longer see each other and she only wished it would go away. In fact, the knot seemed to stubbornly clench tighter on her abdomen the longer the idea sinked in. This would ultimately be her last time seeing Gary and she despised how heart wrenching her chest was also feeling. 

The anxious cellist finally sees Gary react with a nod and lets out a nervous laugh, “I had a feeling you’d say that.” His gaze stays on Chloe and she couldn’t help but blush at just how tender his eyes felt on her. Her heart skips a beat when she senses Gary’s hands reaching for hers. 

“As much as I’d hate to not see you again, I get it.” Gary’s thumb soothes the back of her hand. He’s forgotten how soft and delicate her hands felt. Just at the mere remembrance of Chloe running her hands through his hair or her small hands cupping his face with such delicacy and love — he’s missed so much from her. Never had he felt her affection in any other woman and he hated to know he’d never experience it again, “…It was nice getting to remember how incredible you are.” 

Chloe hated everything about this. She has no idea why there was regret storming in her head. She felt him letting go of her hand and instantly missed the minimal warmth they shared. Her eyes roam around his face and he gives her a comforting smile, “Reckon you’ll have a busy day? You’re going back to London tomorrow, right?” 

She blinks and raises an eyebrow—she’s forgotten about her life back in London! But most importantly, she recalled about her sudden extended stay the theatre director had proposed to her yesterday. Her concerts have done wonders to the city of Chatham and gathered many crowds. She has been offered to stay another week but hadn’t known if she should tell Gary. Especially when she’s trying to keep her distance from the brawny man. 

Just as Chloe is about to respond, the sound of a phone goes off. She looks at the side table and sees there’s a message for her. Just as she opens the notification tab, she tilts her head curiously, _‘Carl…?’ _She thinks to herself. 

_‘Carl!’_

Her hand hovers over her mouth and turns off her phone. She’s completely forgotten about Carl coming over to take her back home and she’s over here trying to sort things out with her summer past. Her heads straightens to see Gary staring at her the entire time, “Is something the matter, darling? You’ve gone pale.” 

She stands and her fingers tighten around her phone. A reassuring smile crosses her lips and only hopes it’s good enough to distract him from any more questions. She does not need him to be more involved in her life, “Everything’s fine. Erm…just a text from a friend, is all.” 

Gary stands with her and doesn’t know what to do with his hands expect shove them in his front jeans pockets, “Right then. I uh…” He scratches the side of his head and lets out a sigh, “…I’ll leave you to it.” 

They both walk towards the front door and face each other. Gary leans towards the brunette instrumentalist and gives her a cheeky grin, “I might be asking for too much but how about a hug goodbye?” 

She arches her eyebrows and squints her eyes at him. Gary’s grin changes to a sheepish smile and gives her an innocent shrug, “Aw come on now, mate! It’s not all the time you get a handsome bloke offering you a little cuddle.”

Chloe eyed him seemingly reserved with crossed arms but eventually breaks her stern character with a smile lifting her cheeks. Gary visibly displays his happiness as he’s smiling ear to ear and Chloe steps closer towards him. She can already feel the warm minty scent cloudingher nostrils and mind. Her arms loop around his neck and immediately feels him return the embrace. His wide body frame easily swallowed her small body and held her with such fragility and tenderness; a distinguished care Chloe hasn’t felt in a long time. 

His strong arms wrapped around her waist and she senses his hands traveling to the middle of her back. A content sigh rumbles out of Gary and she shivers to his breath coating the crook of her neck. Chloe hadn’t known how he did it; how he made her feel so vulnerable with the slightest intimate body language. 

They loosen their embrace but don’t have the heart to let go of each other just yet. Gary’s hands remain on her waist as Chloe rests her hands on his sculpted muscular shoulders. Their faces are close enough as they can almost taste each other. The brunette beauty looks down at his parted lips and back to his piercing blue eyes. 

Temptation was the only way Gary could describe the situation he was in. It was taking all of his strength and willpower to not pull Chloe in for a kiss. There was all this passion he wanted to pour out to her and show her how much she’s been missing in his dreadful life. Gary would never forgive himself to betray the small ounce of —what he wants to believe is trust that she has towards him. 

Gary pulls away from her and gives her a soft smile. His masculine hands reach for hers and bring them to his lips. The London girl couldn’t feel her breathing as Gary gently kissed her small knuckles, “Take care of yourself, love…” 

Before she could even respond to anything, Chloe sees him disappear behind the front door and hears the click sound of the door finally closing. 

…She was now all alone and her head was trying to process Gary’s visit. She leans against the same front door and exhales her stressed breath. So much has happened in the course of 3 days. Never has she thought of seeing her Love Island ex-partner again and she hated it, she hated everything about this visit to Kent. 

Chloe hugs her herself and closes her eyes. None of this would’ve happened if she hadn’t accepted that damn Love Island proposal. She recalled her friends pushing her to do it when she initially declined the offer. 

_‘Go on, Chloe! I just know you’ll find Mr. Right in Love Island. Forget about your ex. He’s an idiot for cheating on you. Now you’ll show him what he’s been missing when he sees you win £50,000 and come back home with a new fit boyfriend.’ _Chloe rolls her eyes at her mates’ prediction…yeah right. All she ever did was go to a television programme to make a right fool of herself for everyone to see. She started going through her past romances and realised the utter failure they all were. There were times when she’s asked herself if it was her fault for dating the wrong type of guy. It bothered her to know Gary has gone down her list of exes when he was supposed to be the man she’s waited for her whole life. 

The dark haired pianist blinks and attempts to remove the tears that cling onto her eyes. She had to make the effort to leave her history with Gary behind and try things out with Carl now. After all, he was a handsome, hardworking man and he deserved the chance he had asked for in Casa Amor. Chloe could only think Carl had come into her life now as part of destiny’s calling. 

* * *

It’s the next afternoon and the petite cellist paced around the lobby’s seating area waiting for Carl’s arrival. She had to admit she was excited to see him. It’s been a while since their last interaction and seeing a familiar face was exactly what she needed right now. 

Her eyes brighten when a young dark-haired man walks in with two hand luggages and immediately spots Chloe. He quickens his pace towards her and can’t help but smile with excitement. Carl drops the baggage and wraps his arms around Chloe as she does with him, “I’ve missed you, babes!” She giggles her words out as she doesn’t feel her feet on the ground and notices Carl briefly lifting her during their hug. 

“It’s been a bloody long weekend, hasn’t it?” His soft Irish accent made Chloe smile at how much she’s missed hearing his voice. There was something special and unique about him that made her believe he was exceptional from the rest of the Casa Amor boys. She couldn’t put her finger on what quality might have made him standout but he was truly the full package: handsome, intelligent, successful, and hard working. 

“I’m just glad you’re here.” She looks down to his sides and sees the luggage she’s asked him to bring. Her eyes look up at him to give Carl a sheepish smile, “I reckon I’ve got some explaining to do?” 

He chuckles and nods in complete agreement. The entrepreneur found Chloe quite the humorous woman; there wasn’t a boring day with her and he was liking her more every time he’d spend time with the talented musician, “I hope everything you asked for is in there…” He shrugs. 

The pair make their way to the room and set the luggages on the side. Carl slumps his body on the couch and sighs. He eyed Chloe taking out a couple of drinks out of the compact fridge and walks over to his direction. Just as she sits next to him, she offers him the lemonade, “So…” he adjusts his body to face the ex-Islander, “What’s happened? You haven’t really explained why I had to bring you more of your clothing.” 

Carl shortly chuckles, “Have you forgotten to bring all of London to Chatham?” He wasn’t one to crack jokes but until now he’s realised Chloe was rubbing off on him. He recalled how he left her wardrobe practically empty. One of her mates had a spare key to her flat and helped him out on gathering the rest of her belongings and it was a nightmare. 

Chloe playfully slaps his arm and laughs with him, “Oh, stop being dramatic! It wasn’t _that _much stuff and I _did_ send you help.” 

He give her an expectant look as he’s waiting for her to elaborate on his abrupt change of plans. Her golden eyes blink, “Oh, right! So, my short time here has been doing wonders to the theatre. The music director has offered me an extended stay to work on another performance.” She clasps her hands excitedly. 

Carl scoots closer to her and smiles, “That’s fantastic news. I’m so happy to know your talent is finally being seen.” His sky blue eyes go wide and panics, “No, wait…! That’s not what I meant! Not that you weren’t already in London as a cellist, y-you’ve always…” He stops his babbling to hear her giggle. 

She covers her mouth to contain her laughter, “Hun, stop overthinking things. I mean, I do the same but you need to stop being so paranoid.” Chloe pokes his chest and leans closer to him, “Thank you for doing me this huge favour, by the way. I couldn’t see myself carrying with these monster bags in the train by myself. ” 

The Irishman relaxes his shoulders and keeps her eye contact, “Don’t mention it. Besides, it gave me a better excuse to come see you again. I did tell you I was picking you up regardless.” 

His hands reaches for her hair and tucks it behind her ear. She smiles back at him and sees his hand still lingering around her jaw. Chloe could sense Carl trying to make a move on her but she was uncertain to let him continue or not. He’s tried before and she’s respectfully declined. Carl was very understanding and never pressured her into their first kiss. 

She knew the wonderful man he was and felt flattered to know he fancied her. Chloe has gotten to know him far more within the past few months and it fascinated her how deep their conversations would get. She recalled encountering Carl the first time after she left Love Island; it was within a couple weeks after she started working in the theatre again. He was still the same socially awkward man she had met in Casa Amor. 

“Sorry…I’ve done it again, haven’t I?” He nervously laughs. 

Chloe frowns and groans out of frustration at herself, “No, no. You’ve been nothing but incredible, hun. I…,” She heavily sighs and shakes her head, “…I’m the one that needs to be more opened and you’ve been very patient with me.” 

Chloe was uniquely a closed-off yet sociable person. She had many friends and was an easy person to chat with but there were layers within her. Chloe almost never showed her true feelings and would try to mask them to avoid showing weakness. And if she ever did share her weaknesses with someone, they were surely someone very important in Chloe’s life. Her only failure to that is she’s terrible at hiding her true emotions. If she was any good, it wouldn’t last long. 

Carl has been able to pick up little details like that from her and he wanted her to open up to him. It was evident that she’s been like this because of Gary. He remembered when he heard about the incident at the villa and how he could only imagine Chloe’s devastation. She was so loyal to Gary… 

The tech entrepreneur gives her a reassuring glimpse, “Look, I don’t know care how long it takes you to open up but I don’t mind waiting.” 

The young pianist sweetly smiles at him and nods, “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.” She had to admit that she didn’t know how she felt about Carl as of yet. She knows he’s an amazing friend but kissing just wasn’t in her agenda for now. And what happened in the villa has made her more careful with whom she’d allow into her life; there just weren’t many trusting people that surrounded her. 

* * *

Dicky was exhausted today. He hated seeing Gary in a low mood and all he’s tried to do was cheer him up. He’s tried playing video games with him to keep up as a distraction— no luck. Tried taking him to the pub— no luck. Not even Gary’s job could set aside the thought of Chloe. Now they’re here, at the nightclub and something was telling him that it wasn’t going to work. It was beginning to look like a bad idea when he realised it was the same nightclub they’d taken Chloe. 

Gary sits on a stool chair and slumps his shoulders, “I dunno, mate. I feel like tonight’s not the time to come over here.”

Dicky sits next to him and sighs, “Look, this whole thing with your former bird has not been easy for you; that’s the reality and you have to accept it. She’s pulled you for a chat to call things off and it’s her way to tell you that she’s done with you. Chloe is trying to move on, bruv—and it’s time for you to do the same.” 

The bulky blond glances at his friend and looks down to his feet. Dicky was a blunt man. He’d say anything with no filter and even though it stung him to try and forget that beautiful cellist,Dicky was right.

A sudden girl approaches Gary to interrupt his reflection and gives him a flirty grin, “Alright, handsome?” 

Both mens’ attention are at the pretty young lady and only seems to have her eyes for the ex-Islander, “I thought it was you from afar. It’s sort of hard to see people’s faces when it’s almost dark in here.” 

Gary blankly stares at the girl and blinks. He couldn’t remember who this woman was. She was talking to him like they had known each other before. Gary chuckles and tilts his head out of curiosity, “I’m sorry but have we met before?”

She throws her head back as she laughs, “Oh come on! You were just here and you don’t remember me asking you for a dance? You’d pied me off for that other girl.” 

It took him a few seconds to replay last night’s events until his eyes widen out of realisation, “Oh, that’s right! Sorry I’d done that to you, love.” 

“Don’t worry about it. Just wondered if you’d be up for another dance? But this time, we don’t switch partners.” She winks at him. 

Gary responds with a smirk and leans closer to the woman, “Don’t worry about that, mate. I ain’t letting a bloke take a fittie like you away from me.” 

She grabs his hand and pulls him over to her direction, leading the way to the dance floor. A bare flashback speared through his eyes and recalled the glorious night he’d spent with Chloe here. It was the most fun he’s had since the villa. Gary would never be able to see that incredible woman ever again and it was all his damn fault. Every time…every bloody time when he’d fancy a girl, Gary would find a way mess everything up. The only difference with Chloe was that she’s changed him; he wasn’t the same Gary he was when he left Chatham for Love Island. With other women, he’d simply let it go and move on. 

But with her….

There was something about Chloe that has him fully wrapped around her finger. It took him a while to figure it out until it hit him. The majority of women that would go for him was only because of sex and, at the time, he hadn’t complained. The sex was really good but he was reaching a point in his life that the encounters were becoming tedious. Gary wanted to settle down for once; however, the minute he’d try to initiate romance, girls would decline without any hesitation. 

With Chloe, she wanted to know more about his nan, his life, his job—everything! Never has he encountered someone like her. Women would normally shut him down when he’d talk about his fascination for science and machinery but with Chloe, it was different. She enjoyed hearing about his nerdy lifestyle and random chatter. 

And now, he wouldn’t be able to chat with her about anything.

Even though Gary had her phone number, he knew how to respect boundaries and if he cared about Chloe, he’d let her live her life. 

The girl from last night pulls the spiked haired blond closer to her but can feel his body reject her gesture. She gives him concerned eyes and frowns, “What’s wrong?” 

His hand smooths out his golden stubble from his chin and clears his throat, “You seem like a lovely girl but I can’t do this…I’m sorry.” 

Without another exchange of words, Gary walks out of the dance floor and leaves the woman dumbfounded at his sudden departure. He had been grafting on her a minute ago and hadn’t expected such an abrupt refusal. 

Gary couldn’t flirt with another woman when Chloe dictated his every thought. She’s only been gone today and he’s already missed her dearly. Never did he think he’d turn into a total melt. 

Somehow, he’s made his way into the club’s bathroom and sets his hands on each side of the sink. He lifts his head to view the reflection of himself staring back. Gary analyses his fatigued blue eyes, his skin looked paler than usual, and his frown deepened. He was a complete mess, “For fuck’s sake…” He mumbles under his exhausted breath. 

After taking a few minutes of his time to compose himself, he splashes a bit of water in his face and he takes a paper towel to dry his damp face. He hadn’t felt any different emotionally but Gary had to try to set aside his issues for Dicky. His friend has been nothing but supportive today and there was no tolerance for selfishness. 

As he quickly slides his body out the bathroom and closes the door behind him, the muscled ex-Islander feels a bump coming from his side, “Oh! I’m sorry I—” He interrupts himself as he turns his head to see a familiar face. 

Gary’s pupils softly shake at the sight of the gifted musician he couldn’t help but think about. He didn’t know what he was feeling: happiness, excitement, confusion. There were many questions arising in his mind as he’s been told she would be returning to London. Chloe stares back at him but he distinguishes her immediate frown and aghast amber eyes, “Gary…”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Islanders! Thank you so much for reading chapter 4 ❤️ I totally appreciate all of the favorites you all have been giving this story. I've been invested into finishing this and omg, just thank again for all of the support. I know my uploads are a bit slower. I've noticed it's taken me an average of about 3 weeks but the patience and understanding you all have means a lot to me :) 
> 
> Please let me know what you all think so far in the comments. Until next time!


	5. Moondust

There were no words other than his name escaping Chloe’s lips. They both stood still only holding each other’s gaze and the muffled music was the only sound that filled their silence. She had to be truthful to herself; she had no idea what she was feeling. Chloe’s stomach turns in knots and tried to catch her breath. All the young musician could do was scold herself for allowing Carl to bring her here. This is the same goddamn place that awakened the argument she had with her ex-partner. It reminded her to put boundaries with Gary and abolish any lingering feelings she still had for him.

Her quivering honey-coloured eyes look up at Gary as he steps closer to her. He carries his lovely deep blue eyes with a sheen of hope. Gary catches his breath before smiling at her, “…Chloe, y-you’re here…” He thought his sight was deceiving him but it couldn’t be; she was standing right here in front of him, “I’d thought you were already in London.”

Gary leans towards her and grins, “Although, having you here has added a special charm to Chatham, hasn’t it?” Chloe could sense this evident happiness brightening across his face.

The brawny man gradually changes his smile to a small frown just as he detects Chloe’s tense behaviour. She’s remained distinctively quiet; was it something he’s said? Perhaps he was coming off too strong to her since she’s asked him to no longer have encounters, “What’s the matter, darling?” 

Chloe looks down at her hands and continues to play with her fingers out of nervousness. What made her more confused was why she was so nervous about seeing Gary. No matter what her reasonings were, she knows coming clean to him felt like the right decision. She looks up at him with concern, “Gary, I have to tell you I’ve—”

“Chloe! I’ve found ourselves a table.” The ex-Islanders turn their heads to see the raven-haired entrepreneur strolling his way beside the brunette beauty and smiles at her. 

Gary’s eyes shift from Chloe to her new companion and notices the man’s hand around her waist and digs his nose in her hair. Gary winces at the sight of such intimate gestures he was giving her. 

Carl turns his attention to the blond man and offers him a smile. He stretches his hand to meets Gary’s, “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Carl.” 

Gary forces a smile and reaches to shake the Irishmen’s hand, “Meet me?” 

Carl looks at Chloe and back at Gary, “Yeah, actually. I was one of the Casa Amor boys. I remember seeing you in the show and this one right here would talk about you and the villa boys all the time.” He chuckles at the end but sees the tension that was building between the three. 

The Casa Amor boy clears his throat, “Anyways, I bumped into her in London a while back and ever since then, we’ve been getting to know each other.” 

Her eyes widen and blushes at Carl’s comment. She pinches the bridge of her nose and scrunches her eyebrows out of embarrassment.

Gary hadn’t noticed at what point his jaw clenched. Now he’s remembers the Casa Amor man. He actively tried to convince Chloe to take him back to the villa instead of sticking with Lucas. Until recently, Gary found out how loyal she was being but not particularly for Lucas. She remained loyal solely for Gary and that only made his chest burst out of pure adoration he had for the girl. 

All Chloe could do was lower her head in shame and frown at this messy turn of events. Even when she was trying to avoid eye contact from Gary, she could feel his devastated eyes peering right through her. She didn’t have the courage to look him in the eye. 

Seeing another man as a possible suitor for the London girl only discouraged Gary. His frown deepened at his naiveness and rubs his hand against the tattooed side of his neck, _‘I’m such an idiot…’ _His thoughts echo in his mind. Of course Chloe would find someone else. She was exceptionally beautiful, an intelligent woman, a successful musician, and with one of the kindest hearts he’s ever met. Chloe was one hell of a woman and he was just…

…He was just a bloke with a crane operating license. This Carl lad seemed like the type of person she deserved. He was dressed in expensive business attire and stood with coolness. If she was a very desired woman in the villa, he was stupidly gullible to not think about the rest of the men in the UK wanting a piece of her. Gary was convincing himself he was wasting his time but for some stupid reason, it was hard to let go of Chloe. 

Gary couldn’t take this anymore. This whole conversation wasn’t what he was expecting, especially seeing his ex-girl with someone from Casa Amor. The blond man nodded and involuntarily smiled—just to be polite but he knew deep inside, his chest ached, “Right…well, it was nice to meet you, mate. I was just about to leave either way. That crane ain’t gonna operate itself in the morning.”

Chloe looks up at the muscled ex-Islander and he’s looking back at her. No words were needed to be exchanged between the former pair. Her troubled amber eyes shook with fear of Gary leaving. She didn’t get a chance to have her private chat with him. All Gary could do was plaster a faint smile for her but Chloe instantly noticed how incredibly pained his sky blue eyes gaped into hers. She quietly gasped in her emotions and Gary was trying very hard to keep his composure. 

Gary moved closer to Chloe’s side, out of earshot of Carl. He took one last look at her disheartened yet delicate face; this was surely his very last time to see her, “Goodbye, Chloe…” 

She tries to reach for his arms but pulls back at the thought. Chloe couldn’t afford to dig herself in a bigger hole.

* * *

** _The Next Morning: _ **

Chloe sets up the kettle in her small stove for tea and feels a pair of hands sneak on her waist from behind, “Morning.” Carl mumbled near her ear. 

Just as she feels his arms trying to wrap around her torso, she moves her body away and distracts herself with the couple of mugs. Chloe hated to do this to Carl but she didn’t feel ready for such intimacy. They haven’t even kissed! 

Besides, he should know how she’s felt about taking things slow. There was something telling her that his patience was running out even if he keeps reassuring her about the total opposite, “Good morning, hun. I’m preparing some toast for our tea. I hope that’s alright.” 

Carl leans against the counter and crosses his arms, “Uh…yeah. Sounds good.” 

They’ve gone quiet only hearing the noise of kitchen utensils being used. Chloe knew it was an odd silence; as if Carl was pondering about something. All she could do was wait for his next words, “Hey, Chloe…I’ve got to ask you about this and please be honest.” 

Chloe set her spoon down and turns around with full attention towards Carl, “Okay, um…shall I sit down for this one? You seem pretty serious.” 

The raven-haired man lets out a deep sigh and thinks about his question, “I’m just curious.” 

He leads her to the seating area and sits across from her, “What have you been thinking about, you know…us? I know we’re just friends and all but, I mean, I really like you and it’s hard for me to know if you want to try out the next level.” His thick dark eyebrows raise out of anticipation and anxiousness to hear her response. It was very hard for him to display his feelings like this as he normally takes his time to romance a girl but he felt like now was the right time with Chloe and there were almost little to no signs coming from her. 

The young musician slumps her shoulders at the chat. She knew this conversation was going to come up sooner or later but Chloe honestly hadn’t known how she felt about Carl. What made it feel odd was that just yesterday he was okay with being patient with her when he was aiming for a kiss, “Carl, you know I’m interested in taking things slow and _you_ even said you were okay with that just yesterday.” Chloe crosses her arms, “I’m not understanding where this is coming from.” 

Out of defeat, Carl scoots his chair next to hers and looks her in the eye, “Look, last night was a tense one. I know you and Gary haven’t been a thing since the villa but I couldn’t help but feel like he was a bit on edge when I told him about getting to know you and the way he was looking at you too.”

Chloe arches an eyebrows and gives him a stern look, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Gary and I are nothing. Maybe he was just tired or something.” 

Carl shakes his head and ticks his tongue out of disagreement, “No, Chloe. I know a jealous lad when I see one.” 

She ran her fingers through her wavy brown hair and let out a hummed sigh. This was getting ridiculous. She didn’t know where Carl was going with this conversation and Gary was not acting jealous; he just wasn’t that type of person…right?

The lean Irishmen reaches for the ex-villa girl’s hand and gulps before speaking, “You reckon my observations are total rubbish but all I can say is that Gary still fancies you; I can tell.” His uneasy blue eyes shift to hers, “I’m just afraid you’ll go back to him and you’ll be heartbroken. I don’t want that for you.” 

Chloe inclines closer to the tech businessman and rests her hand on his, “Thank you, hun—really, thank you. But you know how I feel about second chances; they don’t exist. What Gary’s done to me is just…” She shakes her head as it’s hard to even remember that atrocious night. The petite woman waves a hand to air out the tense subject, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” 

Carl nods and sees a reassuring smile hugging her cheeks, “Okay…” 

The musician stands up and goes back to the kettle to set up the cups of tea, “So, I was hoping we could go hang out tonight since you’re staying a few more days.” She turns around to settle the cups on the table with the prepared toast but sees Carl’s strained look, “…What?” She sits back and waits for his response. 

“Well, I’ll be leaving today. You see, I received an email this morning from a company in Manchester. They’re interested in my latest offer and I’ve got to make it to the meeting tomorrow.” 

Chloe looks down at her hot beverage and lowers the corner of her lips, “Oh…” She tries to give him a smile only hoping that it disguises her disappointment, “That’s great! I just was hoping to spend more time but we’ll keep in touch.” 

Carl relaxes his shoulders and gifts her a relieved smile. Most of his relationships never worked because of his job. There were many occasion when he has to cancel important dinner dates because of his restrained working schedule, “I knew you’d understand. Oh, it’ll be great, you’ll see!” 

After they’ve finished up their breakfast, Chloe follows Carl out the front entrance and guide themselves to his vehicle. Once he loads his belongings and closes the hood, his attention diverts back to her. He really hadn’t desired to leave his beautiful friend alone in Chatham when he’s just arrived, “I’m so sorry…” He reaches for her hands, “I promise I’ll have you in mind and I’ll—”

A smirk forms her lips and eyes the handsome Irish native, “Ahh, you’ll have me in mind, hmm?” Her face grows closer to him and instantly sees his face fluster at the comment. 

His startled eyebrows raise and bites his bottom lip, “I can’t lie. It’s kinda hard not to.”

His comment only made her smirk extend and cups his face. Carl waits with anticipation for Chloe’s next move, only hoping it’s the kiss he’s waited for. He then feels her full lips firmly press against his cheek and breathes out his letdown. 

Chloe pulls away and smiles while lightly pinching his cheek, “You look so cute when you get red.” 

They say their goodbyes and hug each other before Carl climbs in his car. 

* * *

Chloe pushes the main door to enter the theatre. She only had a few hours to relax at her hotel room before coming in for her rehearsal. Although, it was difficult to find any relaxation when her mind filled with everything that’s happened since yesterday: Gary, Carl, their encounter.

_I know a jealous lad when I see one._

_Gary still fancies you, I can tell._

She hated to allow such phrases distracted her. Carl’s chat had her thinking about a certain muscular blond man and their last confrontation. All Chloe could ponder about were those saddened blue eyes of his that gaped right through hers. Even though there was nothing stopping her from dating other men, she couldn’t help but feel nausea churning through the pit of her stomach when Carl mentioned they were getting to know each other. Chloe was so close to letting Gary know about her extended visit but…

She rolls her eyes out of annoyance. Why the hell has she felt guilty? Guilty about Gary finding out about her love life? Everything has been going wrong for her. She felt as if Carl left in good terms with her but the discussion he had with her about Gary gave her concerns he’d be on her case about it. 

There were so many distractions, so much going on in her life; she needed to set everything aside for the rest of her time in Chatham. 

She lets out an exasperated breath as her heels click against the hollow stage. Chloe settles her music sheets in front of her and poses her hands above the piano’s keys. Just as her fingers dance across the instrument, the fast rhythmic sound ring in her ears. Each key is played perfectly until her her middle finger stumbles over her index finger and disrupts the song, “Bloody hell…” She mumbles to herself and starts over. 

The song was a challenging one; any musician—any pianist would shiver at the thought of messing up this piece of musical history at a live performance. It was Moonlight—the 3rd movement. She easily dominated the 1st and 2nd movement of the Beethoven classic but the last bit was too challenging. This was one final showing Chloe would be doing for Chatham and even if it’s not as big of a theatre as the one back home, it was still a performance she wanted to execute flawlessly. 

Hours have passed by and the brown-haired soloist commits the same error. Out of frustration, she slams her hands amongst the piano keys, causing an unbalanced tune, “I can’t believe it!” Chloe can hear the irk in her tone of voice. She was losing her patience after hours and restless practise. She just couldn’t get it right and Chloe was starting to think she wasn’t going to be able to perform like this. 

“Chloe, dear. Are you alright?” A familiar older voice is heard from behind. 

The young pianist twists her torso to see the theatre’s director holding her reading glasses. Chloe widens her eyes out of bafflement; she was advised the stage was empty, “Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Just having a bit of difficulty.” A glow of blush creeps on Chloe’s cheeks from embarrassment. She hadn’t expected to see the director listen to her frustrations. 

The older woman leans against the side of the black piano and eyed the musician, “I know this may put quite the pressure on you but I _know_ a talented young lady when I see one. Otherwise, I would have not offered you this next performance.” She smiles at the ex-Islander. 

Chloe gives her a short nod but remains with a small frown, “Of course! And I feel honoured and responsible for taking this opportunity. I promise I won’t mess this up, I can’t bring myself to do that either way.” She lowers her sight to the piano keys and sighs. 

A short silence lingers between the two until her temporary director speaks up, “I wouldn’t want to intrude into your life but it looks like you could use a bit of headspace. It’s best if you leave the rehearsal for tomorrow.” 

Chloe instantly widens her bright eyes again and shakes her head, “Oh I can’t possibly do that. I’ve got to finish here and—”

The elder woman raises her hand as a signal for Chloe to remain quiet, “Chloe, please. Go and rest. I can’t have my musicians lacking here. Now go! I expect to see you here tomorrow for our last rehearsal.” 

The Londoner girl eases her tense shoulders as she was asked to depart the only place she could escape from reality; the only place where she could find ease in life. She gathers her music sheets and forcibly gets up from the piano’s bench. 

Before she leaves the stage, the older woman grasps Chloe’s attention, “Miss Manseau?” 

The wavy-haired woman turns around and can only can feel anxiousness at what else the director was going to say, “Yes…?” 

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” 

Chloe is taken back at such wise words and reserves a moment to dissect such what’s been said. Before she could respond, the grey-haired woman gives her pianist a reassuring grin, “Take the advice, my dear—from Ludwig van Beethoven himself.” 

* * *

_All of Wednesday passes…_

_Thursday…_

_Friday…_

And she still made the same mistake with the song. What in the bloody hell was she doing wrong? Chloe was beginning to panic. The show was around the corner and she hasn’t felt any more confident about her performance. 

She’s tried to remain consistent with the last words her instructor had provided but Chloe couldn’t help but be a perfectionist. She couldn’t afford messing up on her last night here. All should could do was keep practising and work harder. Tomorrow morning was her last attempt to rehearse and later that night, she was going to exhibit her piano skills. 

Goodness, all of this was overwhelming. 

During the past few days, she’s even tried calling and texting Carl but he’s always dismissed her. He’d say he was either too busy to chat or he was in a meeting. He’d hang up before allowing her to ask if he could come over to see her last show. And if he’d promise to call her back, he wouldn’t. She didn’t know if all the tiring rehearsals were making her sensitive but Chloe even sensed a tad of irritation in Carl’s voice. She could understand how stressful his career was but…

Chloe places her fingertips on her temples and tries to rub away the anxiety. Perhaps she was overthinking things as usual, especially during high pressure. She guides her legs towards the bedroom window and sees the same busy street. She tilts her head and wonders in thought again, “I suppose a quick stroll around the grocery shop shouldn’t be a bad idea.” 

There had to be something here to distract her. 

* * *

“How was your break, Gary?” An older gentleman up nodded the crane operator as he was approached. 

Gary turned his head to see his co-worker make small talk, “It was well nice. Had my nan’s stew she’s packed for me. It was amazing, as always.” He chuckles. 

“Let her know how much I’ve been missing her dinner roast. My goodness…” The man shook his head and glanced at the young blond man, “…Haven’t had another dinner roast that can top hers.” 

Gary puffs his chest out and proudly smiles for his nan’s cooking skills, “You got that right and I’ll let her know. Perhaps she’ll have enough leftovers this Sunday.” 

His co-worker walks backwards and points at Gary while going back to his station, “Alright, man. Make sure you remind her.” 

Gary looked at the time and was almost done with work. He tiredly sighs to himself and couldn’t wait to go home. It wasn’t healthy for him but he just wanted to sulk in his couch for the rest of the night. As much as he enjoyed his family’s and mates’ company, he only wanted one night to self-reflect. 

It’s been a few days without Chloe’s presence and he couldn’t help but feel this emptiness in his chest. Even though he knows it sounded absurd, he admits having Chloe around the first couple of days added the excitement he was looking in his life. Even Dicky noticed the twinkle in Gary’s eyes when Chloe was around. 

He’s resumed to his normal everyday routine but his co-workers felt how odd his isolated and serious behaviour was; still friendly but serious, nonetheless. He hasn’t felt his best since he’s last seen Chloe with the Casa Amor man. That was all he could think about: Chloe and the fact that she really was trying to remove him from her life and dating Carl. 

Gary couldn’t blame Carl for pursuing her. She had everything a man would want in a partner and he seemed like a smart enough lad to go for Chloe. It only discouraged the crane operator to get his hopes up and think there was any slight possibility to win his ex back; let alone remain as friends. All the precious short time spent with the beautiful cellist was carefully cherished and only wished he could tell her how much he means to her. 

…..

Gary hops off his machinery and dusts off his hands after he removed his heavy duty gloves. Finally, the weekend was here. He really needed this time off for himself. 

“Gary!” One of his co-workers jogs over to the ex-Islander, “Gary! There’s a woman asking about you at the front office.” 

The tattooed man blinks and feels puzzled about the strange news. He folds his arms across his chest and frowns, “Huh…I’m not expecting anyone. Besides, our shift is over. Who could possibly be visiting right now?” Gary walks with his co-worker as they guide themselves towards the exit, “Oh…unless it’s mum or nan.”

His workmate stops Gary and shakes his head, “Oh no, no, no; it’s not your mum or your nan. She’s younger looking with dark hair a_nnnd_ she’s bloody gorgeous, mate.” 

Gary’s heart thumps fast under his skin after hearing it was a younger looking girl, _‘Steady on, lad…you’re getting ahead of yourself thinking it’s Chloe.’_ He had to calm himself with those foolish illusions. Besides, Chloe had someone else to dedicate time for. 

Gary hurriedly makes his way to the front office and goes down the hallway. He’s gone down this same path hundreds of times but this one occasion; it felt like an eternity to arrive. He continues to go down the walkway until he instantly stops to see a familiar girl standing there and intently looking at the frames on the wall. 

This had to be another of his day dreams. There’s no way in hell she’d be here. 

The handsome brawny crane operator hadn’t known how to approach her and stood there just drinking in the scenery. She still had her back turned to him but stood with her natural elegance as she was trying to distract herself with the articles and permits framed on the wall. 

Even just at the sight of her back, she’s managed to take Gary’s breath away. 

Chloe felt a presence behind her and turns around to see Gary stunned and his fingers tightly gripping to the edges of his hard hat. She intakes a quiet sharp breath and wasn’t prepared to see him in his work attire. Her eyes couldn’t miss the opportunity to examine him. His outfit stayed relatively the same: boots, jeans, and a simple shirt but he had on his safety vest, a small tool pouch hanging from his side where she could easily see his gloves dangling. Her eyes travelled to his face and notices how exhausted he carried himself; Gary looked utterly knackered and she felt a tug in her throat to see he wasn’t getting the necessary self care. 

Gary hadn’t known what she was doing here or how she found out where he worked. There were so many questions looming over his head. 

They both take a moment to approach each other and Gary clears his throat, “Chloe…I—” He lets out a nervous chuckle and gazes at her, “…what a surprise.” He gives her a faint smile and couldn’t stop admiring her chocolate brown hair cascading over her shoulders and framing that lovely face of hers. 

Chloe nods and shyly smiles at him. She had no idea why she’s felt anxious about see him and hums out her nerves, “I’m sure you’ve got questions.” 

He agreeingly nods and scratches the side of his head, “Not that it’s a bad surprise. I never thought I’d—”

“That we’d see each other again?” She finishes his sentence and comes closer to Gary. 

He slightly raises his dark eyebrows and subconsciously steps closer to her as well, “Yeah…I’ve just reckoned you hadn’t told me about your change of plans cos of…” 

They both sense there were some prying eyes and ears coming from the office staff nearby. Gary clasps his mouth shut, hesitating to propose his offer and parts his lips again to speak, “Fancy a chat elsewhere? You know, in private.” 

Chloe stretches a reserved smile, “Of course.” 

* * *

Gary fiddles with his home key to open the lock and swings the door wide open. He steps to the side and glances at Chloe, “Come on in, mate.” 

She steps into his home and analyses the decor and furniture. Chloe’s always thought he’d be terrible at home decoration but his home was actually well put together. He had a large leathered brown couch with matching single chairs on each side and a large television with an impressive entertainment system in front of the furniture. It was kind of hard to think he’d combine all of this himself, “You have a lovely home…” She says out loud as her head is still turning at each direction and spotting more details. It felt very welcoming, intimate, and cosy: kind of like Gary. 

He closes the door and tosses his keys on the coffee table, “Thanks! Well, I can’t take all the credit. My mum helped out on picking everything.” 

Ah. There it was. Of course it was his mum that did all of this. Gary doesn’t seemed to be a very detailed-oriented person. 

Chloe takes a seat on the couch and her eyes follow Gary’s direction. He immediately goes for the fridge and bends over to get a view inside the cooled appliance, “Fancy a drink? I’ve got water, tea, coffee, beer.” 

Her attention sparks at the last drink he’s mentioned, “I can go for a beer actually.” 

Gary’s lips curve into a grin at her response, “Top girl! I was hoping you’d say that. Comin’ right up.” He settles two beer bottles on the counter and effortlessly twists the caps off. He saunters his way over to the living room and sits next to the brunette beauty, handing her one of the drinks. 

There’s a short silence as they gulp a bit of their cold drinks. Chloe and brings all her attention to Gary, “I wouldn’t want you think I’ve stalked you or anything.” 

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her comment and leans his back against the couch, “I hope not. Shall I be concerned?” He tilts his head to see his guest softly giggle at the teasing and rolls her eyes with a smile. 

“I bumped into Dicky at one of the shops nearby and we chatted for a bit. We hadn’t gone too deep in a conversation but I’d told him I wanted to chat with you and apologise about the night we saw each other at the club.” Gary sees her looking down at her bottled drink and goes quiet for a few seconds, “Dicky was nice enough to drop me off at your work and…well, you know; here we are…” 

He adjusts his sitting position and is intrigued at her reasoning for her visit. The dots have ultimately connected but he shrugged and gave her a comforting smile, “Mate, don’t worry about it. You have nothing to apologise for.” 

Her index finger tangles around a strand of her hair and plays with it as a method to distract herself from the confrontation, “No, but I do! I felt terrible not telling you about my extended stay and I _was _going to tell you but then Carl came over and…” She lets out a stressed breath and flickers her eyes, “…I’m sorry. You’ve been nothing but kind and welcoming since I’ve been here. It was very inconsiderate of me to lie.” 

Gary hadn’t desired to make her feel any more guilt. Yes, the whole situation gave him a lot to think about but he disliked him seeing her like this, “You’re being too harsh on yourself. Really! Don’t worry about it.” 

“Really…?” She straightens her back at how understanding Gary was being. Dicky suggested to talk to him about this but she was initially against it, thinking he’d be remorseful but no; he was quite gentle. 

Gary gives her a supportive nod and spreads a warm smile for her, “Yeah, of course.” 

Chloe’s eyes linger on the spiked-haired blond and and returns a smile of contentment, “Thank you for understanding.” 

There’s a pause between the two but the silence is soothing. He slightly raises his eyebrows with curiosity and eyed the talented pianist. Now that he had her here, he couldn’t help but ask, “So…you and that Irish bloke are a thing now, huh?” 

Chloe catches his eyes after hearing disappointment rumble in his vocals. She parted her lips to only notice her uneven breathing coming out. There was a layer of nervousness running through her bloodstream and only wished it would go away, “…Right, Carl. We’re just friends. Well, we’re trying things out but taking things slow.” She avoids his eyes after she’s told Gary where she’s at with her Irish friend. For some reason, she just couldn’t look him in the eye with this conversation; it was too much. 

As much as he despised the thought of his ex-girl with another man, he still wanted her to be happy. Carl seemed like a nice lad and only hoped she was being showered with the attention she deserves. He continues to observe her and detects this odd silence she had. She slightly slouched her head as he distinguishes the numerous times she’s had a blank stare. Gary could tell something was bothering her and she was holding back, “Come on, darling. There’s something in your mind. What’s going on?” 

Chloe turns her head to Gary’s direction and blinks. Was she that obvious? She thought she was good at masking her feelings; apparently not. She senses a slight movement to the couch and feels Gary’s body slide next to hers and gives her shoulder a light squeeze of comfort. Her radiant sunny eyes gaze into his handsome face as she’s conflicted about telling him what’s on her mind. 

She exhales the stress, “It’s just that… this whole week has been a mess. I’ve been rehearsing for my last performance at the theatre but every bloody time, I mess up on the third act of the concerto. It’s important for me to make sure it’s done perfectly and even my music director heard my frustrations.” Her hand softly rubs against her forehead as a method to ease her burden, “It hasn’t been an easy week for me…” She mutters.

Gary looks at her intently and remains quiet as he’s intaking all her worries. Never has he really thought how much pressure a musician really had. Chloe looked and sounded exhausted. Only could he wish to take all of her troubled thoughts and carry it himself for her. 

Chloe feels a warm hand run up her back and Gary’s knee faintly touches hers. Until now, she’s noticed their close proximity and feels her heart flutter. She could smell his peppermint aroma mixed with the industrial oil from work; it was weirdly pleasant to experience, “Mate, you are a bloody good musician and I know it!” She sees a smirk curling on the side of his mouth, “I’ve seen how fast those hands can go…” 

The silent London girl continued to listed to Gary’s supportive words, “Besides, you’ve made a crowd love your talent and they’ll be there to see _you_: with or without mistakes.” 

Chloe relaxes the tensity of her shoulders and came to a realisation that Gary was right. People now knew who she was and what type of performance she displayed. Chloe needed to feel more confident about her skills. Her lips craft a pleased smile towards the ex-villa boy, “That’s very sweet of you.” 

Within seconds he sees her smile change back to a frown and Gary can’t help but take a notice to her change of emotions, “What’s the matter?” 

“…Huh? Oh,” She waves her hand in the air to banish her other concern, “It’s nothing. I just…” Chloe bites her bottom lip and doesn’t know how appropriate it was to tell him about the weird isolated behaviour she’s come to discover from Carl. She refrains from the idea of telling Gary; it wasn’t fair for Gary to have all her problems dumped on him, “…Oh, forget I said anything. I’m probably just being sensitive.” She lets out a bit of laughter to ease out of the chat. 

Gary brings the beer bottle near his lips as he still has his eyes on his attractive visitor, “Out with it, love. What’s happened?” 

“Well…it’s just that Carl’s left. He was supposed to stay with me until we’d go back to London but he had to leave the day after he arrived because of a meeting; which is fine! I understand that his career is crucial and all…” 

“But…?” Gary raises an eyebrow, anticipating what the issue was. He had feeling this Irish bloke wasn’t being quite tentative towards his ex. 

Chloe rolls her eyes out of annoyance towards Carl’s absence and rests her palm under her chin with her slender fingers over her mouth, “…I’ve tried calling him, texting him, but he’s always too busy to have a quick chat. I know he’s very busy but I—” She groans at the irritable situation, “…I dunno if I’m making things up but he even sounds bothered if I call.” 

Her yellow eyes shift to the side and angles her head to see Gary quietly staring at her, “Reckon I sound like a nut job?” 

“Just a little.” Chloe fully turns her head and pouts at his feedback. Gary laughs and shakes his head, “I’m just bantering you!” 

Chloe crosses her arms and lightly stomps her foot on the ground. What she couldn’t help was follow along with his contagious laughter and tries to suppress her growling smile, “Gary, I’m being serious!” 

The brawny crane operator wanted to feel happy that things hadn’t been working out between her and Carl, but seeing Chloe so distressed over the situation made his heart disintegrate; he never wanted to see her so upset. What does bother him was Carl not dedicating any time for her, even if it was from afar. If this Casa Amor lad really was interested in a girl like Chloe, he would need to re establish his priorities and include her in his life. 

As much as he wanted to go against the consolation, he’d do it for the sake of elevating Chloe’s mood, “Don’t worry about him. Like you’ve said: he’s busy. Until he sees the chance, I’m sure Carl will reach out to you.” Spitting those words out almost made the beer taste more bitter than normal; Gary only hoped it was convincing enough. 

“Goodness, this is so embarrassing,” She hides her flustered face with her hands , “I swear I only intended to apologise about the nightclub thing. I didn’t mean to throw all my issues on you.” 

“I know we’re no longer half-mates but I’m still here for you, Chloe…” His deep baritone voice trembles at such words. He hadn’t thought about saying it out loud but his heart spoke for him for once and there were no regrets. Gary’s loyalty to her was infinite and unconditional. There wasn’t any other girl that could take that away from her. 

Gary’s eyes widened for a moment as Chloe unexpectedly wraps her arms around his neck. His body relaxes when his hands slide to her lower back and returns the hug. They stay in that same position for a while until Chloe loosens the embrace and rests her lovely hands on his broad warm shoulders. Her eyes try not to roam but she takes a quick glimpse at his body and has forgotten how big and wide he was. The dark haired girl shyly smiles and clears her throat, “Sorry…” She softly snickers at herself, “…I swear I’m not this random.” 

Gary stretches his lips into a playful grin as he searches or her eyes, “Yeah? I’m well into your randomness actually.” 

Her eyes wander down at their bodies and detects how awfully close they were due to their loosened hug. Chloe was still secured in his strong arms and all she could do was pull away. She clasps her small hands together and croons out her breath, “…I should probably get going. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your weekend.” 

As Chloe is about to get up, her head instantly shifts at Gary calling her name. She sees him drumming his fingers on his knee and pursed his lips together, “I was wondering if you’d like to maybe stay for pizza… I dunno, watch something on the telly?” 

Her body movement was at a minimum and hadn’t known what to answer. It wasn’t to her best interest to stay here in Gary’s home and accept his invite; just recently she’s asked him to cut ties completely. She needed to remind herself why she’s decided to eliminate any social interactions with him. 

Gary stared at her with expectant light blue eyes. Part of him wasn’t keeping much hope for her to agree but was interested as to why she’s remained quiet. It almost seemed like she was considering the suggestion but…

Nah, Chloe’s perhaps astonished he’s even asked her to stay. He chuckles out his doubt and scratches his eyebrow, “I’ve made myself into a fool, haven’t I? Sorry I’ve asked you that, love.” 

“No! You haven’t! I…” She feels a bit of panic running through her veins just at the sight of a disappointed Gary. She was being absolutely unreasonable with him. Considering how generous he’s been to her today and making the grand effort to make her feel better was more than she was expecting. Chloe leans a bit towards the muscly ex-Islander and captivates him with her sweet voice, “I’d love to join you.” The apples of her cheeks slightly levitate as she gives him a tender smile. 

“Yeah?” He lets out a relieved breath. There’s a slight of sparkle in his eyes that illuminated his returning smile and that only took Chloe’s breath away, “Great. I’ll start ordering us food then.” 

Chloe looks up at him as he gets up and goes for his phone. As he busied himself with that, she also stands and goes straight to his impressive entertainment system. She squints her eyes to see a load of DVDs tossed around. One thing is for sure; Gary hadn’t seemed to be the organised type of man. She bends over to go over the films he’s got and picks up one case in particular. 

She widens her golden eyes and loudly gasps. Gary crooks his neck to her direction and wonders what she’s reacted to. He strolls over to her and looks over her shoulder, “You’ve got ‘Hercules’?!” 

Chloe turns around to see his response and his face reddens. He gives her a sheepish look and his hands rest on his waist. He really didn’t know how to get out of this one, “Yeah…I erm, you see my nan had given me that as a birthday gift when I was like, 6 or 7?” 

She turns around to fully face him and grins at such a surprising thing to discover about Gary. Never had she thought a Disney film would be part of his collection but it was sort of pure to see this here. Gary innocently shrugs and tries to discard the cartoon, “I hardly ever pay attention to it, to be honest.” He goes quiet just observing how Chloe had taken his explanation. He’d always get made fun of by others because he’s held onto it ever since. 

“Is that so? Hmm…” She humphs out of the misfortune. 

“…What?” Gary sees her looking down at the cover and up at him. 

“You probably hadn’t known this but I’ve grown up with Disney films. I was actually interested in taking a trip down memory lane.” She shrugs and sets down the case where it was last at. 

Gary perks at this new information and arches his eyebrows. While it wasn’t surprising to hear Chloe was into Disney films; her entire career evolved around music and performing arts, “I’d be well into watching it with you.” 

* * *

They certainly hadn’t wasted time. Gary excused himself to take a quick shower while they waited for the food to arrive. Chloe crossed her arms and slowly walked around his home to see a few pictures framed. The brunette beauty inclines a bit to get a better view of the photographs and sees Gary with his arm dangled over an older woman’s shoulder. Chloe curls her upper lip out of curiosity. 

“Not my best picture…” Chloe is startled at the rumble of Gary’s voice coming from behind. 

She spins around to see a Gary occupying himself with his towel and drying his damp golden mane. She never realised he was right behind her, “Who is this?” She asks. 

“Oh, that’s my nan. That picture was taken a while back.” Chloe turns her attention back to the photo and her eyes shifted from Gary to the little lady he’d always chat about. 

“She seems lovely…” She gently lets out those words and Gary’s smile graces the rest of his handsome features. 

“Aw mate, I know my nan would like you a lot.” Chloe had to admit she liked hearing him say that. She could tell how much he loves her and only admired the adoration Gary had for his family. 

The pair is interrupted by the doorbell chiming and Gary makes his way over to the front door to greet the delivery boy. The London musician settles herself on the couch after she brings a couple more beers. The husky ex-villa boy flops himself next to her and grabs one of the cold beer bottles and raises it mid air, “Cheers…”

Chloe grabs her bottle and meets with Gary’s to hear a clink sound, “To what exactly?” 

He hovers his lips over the tip of the beverage and blinks, “Hmm…how about to Chloe’s successful performance tomorrow!” 

She liked hearing the confidence he has in her, “Cheers…!”

* * *

The room is completely dark and the television is the only source of light that flashes at the duo. All their attention is fully invested into the animation. Gary chews on his food and hears his divine guest softly humming one of the musical numbers. He quietly grins to himself and finds it so amusing to analyse their scenery. They were a couple of grown adults sitting in the dark, stuffing their face with pizza, and watching a cartoon. 

He discretely shakes his head and can’t believe his luck. Gary hadn’t told too many people about his ‘Hercules’ film. He vividly recalled when his nan had gifted him this memorable film. Even though it may sound a bit ridiculous but Gary didn’t have the heart to dispose of such a wonderful gift. It was given to him during a rough time in his life. He felt understood and identified with Hercules. The story consisted of a young man who felt like an outsider but wanted to prove his strength and bravery to protect the ones he loved: that was precisely what Gary wanted as a child. 

There was a time in the villa, when he wanted to confess to Chloe about an issue he’s always had…but he was afraid she’d think of him differently. Mostly afraid he’d lose her. 

Although, she was the only one in the villa that never questioned his random chatter nor the amount of appreciation he had for his nan. He recalled feeling the girls give him judgmental looks, yet Chloe seemed to be the only one to understand and defend his point of view. 

This marvelous woman sitting next to him made him feel like it’s okay to be himself and unleash the real Gary. Nonetheless, he hadn’t wanted to overwhelm her with his issues; especially when she was trying to overcome her own. 

…

Gary can barely lift his tired eyelids but consistently blinks to restore his vision and sees his screen turned off. He must’ve fallen asleep at some point while watching the telly. Just as he was about to stretch, Gary feels a weight on his side and distinguishes Chloe curled up on his shoulder as she’s sound asleep. 

The dark-haired girl hums out a quiet groan just as Gary had barely shifted his position to check the time; it was past two in the morning. He truly hadn’t expected to have her fall asleep on him and all he could ever do was smile at such a delightful view. 

With the most careful movements, Gary gets up and keeps one of his arms around the unconscious instrumentalist to not have her fall. He effortlessly scoops her petite figure in his arms and ambles over to his bedroom. He would’ve felt terrible to disturb her deep slumber and it was quite late to take her to her temporary stay. 

Gary settles her on his cushioned bed with such delicacy, afraid of waking her. His legs make their way towards the door to only hear Chloe’s sweet voice weakly call out his name. The well-built blond man turns around to see her rub a bleary eye and looks at him with a pout gravitating her mouth. He walks back to the bed and sits, “Go back to sleep, darling. I’ll be in the living room…” He softly whispers. 

Just as he’s about to get up, Gary feels a tug on his arm and it’s Chloe preventing him from leaving. She didn’t have to say a word to him to understand what she wanted. His furrows his eyebrows with conflicted light eyes and heavily breathes though his nostrils, “I can’t, Chloe. It’s not…it’s not right.” There was so much regret within Gary’s tone of voice; it wasn’t what he truly felt, it not what he’s wanted to tell her. He’s longly wanted to hold her and soothe her to sleep; just like he used to in the villa. 

The softness of her smaller hand is still on his arm and can sense her fingertips gently tightening on his skin. Chloe leans closer to him with sleepy eyes and mumbles, “Stay…?Please…”

Gary looks down at the bed and back at her. He knew this was a terrible idea and it was going to be an issue tomorrow but he eventually gives her a nod. He climbs onto his large mattress and adjusts himself next to his ex-Love Island partner. Gary makes an effort to give her space by laying on his side, facing away from her. As his lids gradually coat over his drowsy eyes, he can feel Chloe nuzzling her face on his wide back and her arm going over his torso. 

Gary lifts his eyelids and gulps at the act of Chloe spooning him. He looks down at his stomach to see her hand over his abdomen. It was harder for him to catch his breath once he’s felt the warmth of her smooth legs brushing against his and hearing her dreamily hum out her worries away. 

Even if it was for a mere hallucination of brutal ecstasy, Gary didn’t care; this was what he’s always wanted in his life. The gorgeous cellist continues to hold on to him through her sleep and he couldn’t resist but to slide his larger fingers over the hand she had on his stomach. Having her in bed was never how he’d expect his night to end. 

* * *

** _The Next Morning: _ **

The burst of sun rays land on Chloe’s face and causes her to flutter her sluggish eyes open. She sits up and rests her back against the cool headboard. Her fingers hover over as she mouths out a yawn. Chloe couldn’t remember when was the last time she’s gone through a peaceful sleep. Her fingers comb through the disheveled brown locks and stops midway with widened amber eyes. Her head shifts from all corners and doesn’t seem to recognise this bedroom. 

The confused young woman turns her head to closely listen to incoming footsteps. She easily spots a familiar muscular blond man and flashes her a big smile, “Mornin’, sleepy head…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Welp. Aren't those two complicated 😂 wonder how they'll carry their relationship now 👀 
> 
> Hello Islanders! Once again, I want to thank you all for taking your time to read this story. Hopefully you've liked this chapter! I do want to apologize for the lengthy wait. The holidays sort of interfered and made the delay. Another reason why it took longer than usual is because this was a very looooong chapter lol which is fine, yall deserve it! It was like 2 chapters in 1. 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought about it and I'll see you next time! ♥️ ♥️


	6. The Scientist

Chloe hadn’t known how to react and even worse, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Gary. He casually stood at the foot of the door, leaning against the door frame shirtless with the same sweatpants she recalled seeing him wear back at the villa. Chloe looks down and attempts to hide the gradual blush burning her cheeks. She was thrown off by this morning’s greet and never expected to wake up to see Gary’s cheery face. He folds his strapping arms over his chest and softly chuckles at her puzzled look, “What’s the matter, mate?” His baritone vocals fills their silence. 

The London beauty hums out to clear her throat and finally decides to look at him again, “…I-I don’t remember how I’ve even ended up here. I’m so sorry, Gary! I never noticed when I’d dozed off.”

Gary approaches the distressed musician and sits next to her. She feels the extra weight shift the mattress a bit and Gary briefly scratches his golden stubble as his eyes shift to her. He was effortlessly distracting and Chloe’s attention was solely on him. This man had an undeniable aura that she couldn’t ignore. His fingers fooled around with a toothbrush and playfully tapped her knee with it, “Chloe, don’t worry about it. We both fell asleep at some point and hadn’t realised it. I’m just glad you got a good rest.” His lips corner into a warm smile. 

She returns the smile and nods, “I did sleep well actually.” 

The young crane operator intently keeps his gaze on her and bites his bottom lip as he remembered last night, “…Yeah, me too.” His voice goes quiet as glorious flashbacks speed through his mind from last night. 

Even though he’d tried to remain his distance in the bedroom, he’d awakened to spot the cellist snuggled up next to him. He remembered waking up to such a lovely floral fragrance welcoming his morning. His entire body shivered at her nose unconsciously nuzzling at the crook of his neck with her hand over his chest. Her breath lightly coating his skin only sent arousing shivers up his spine. His t-shirt was the only thing that refrained her hand to meet with his bare chest. Just thinking about all of that again filled his heart with yearn. It almost felt as if it was one of his dreams; it was too good to be true.

“…Gary, you alright?” Chloe arches an eyebrow. 

“Huh…? Oh yeah! Sorry, love. I was just thinking of…” She patiently waits for his answer but can clearly see a bit of hesitation ascending from Gary’s body movements, “…Ah it’s nothing really.” Chloe could’ve sworn she’d seen a tint of red flushing over her ex-partner’s cheeks. 

Before the musician could push for more details, the brawny blond hands her the toothbrush and pushes himself off the bed, “Had a spare one and the sink is over there.” 

Just before he leaves the bedroom, Gary pauses and turns around to widen a goofy smirk on his face, “Betcha I can make us a cuppa faster than you brushing your teeth.”

Chloe leans her back against the headboard and crosses her arms. There was no way to resist the growing smile and she amusingly rolls her eyes, “Mate, is that a challenge?” She’d absolutely win, that’s for sure.

Gary gives her a cheeky wink and grins at her response and dashes to the kitchen just as the brunette beauty quickly slides off the bed. 

* * *

Chloe strides over towards the kitchen area spotting the bearded man distracting himself with the toasted bread and arranging it on a plate. He’s got a cheery tune whistling through his lips and her ears instantly recognise the tune he was airing out. His powerful whistling smoothly transitioned to a low mumble of familiar lyrics and left a good impression with his ability to keep up with a classic song.

A small smile betrays her lips and lets out a soft giggle; there was something appealing about seeing him sway his head to the rhythm of the song. 

Gary senses her presence and cocks his head to the side, giving her a bright smile, “Finished already, slowcoach?” 

The petite Londoner squints her eyes and hangs her mouth open, “I should be the one calling you that. Seems like you’re still working on all of this.” She points her finger at the toast he’s prepared. 

A velvet chuckle swirls through her ears as his dark eyebrows levitate and glanced at her misfortune, “_That’s_ where you’re wrong, darling. You see, the bet was that I could make us a cuppa before you’d brush your teeth and I did.” He points at the kettle with the settled cups filled with the hot beverage, “I’m just being an absolute gent and whipping up some toast for you.” 

She’s left dumbfounded and felt tricked, “That’s not fair…” She lifts her bottom lip and pouts at the muscled young man and grows a little annoyed at how confident he looked because he beat her. A defeated sigh flies out of her mouth, “Alright, what have I got to do then?” 

He blinks at her and stays quiet as he tries to sort out his confusion, “What do you mean…?” 

“Oh come on, Gary! You won and I lost; it’s only fair game if I do my end of the deal. What have I got to do?” She regretted saying that. Chloe could only imagine the type of ridiculous request he’d give her. 

Gary had to be very honest: he wasn’t really thinking about the end of the deal; he just wanted to win…but Chloe doesn’t need to know that. 

A sly smirk curls his mouth and wiggles his eyebrows at her to only make her softly laugh. He jokingly approaches the brown-haired ex-Islander and she walks backwards to avoid the chase, “Gary…now you better behave!” Her hand hovers over her mouth to cover her returning laughter, “You better not—” Chloe squeals as her back bumped against a wall. 

He steps closer to her and his playful light eyes softened. Gary parted his lips and felt a light quiver to his strong chin; her beauty was always admirably envious for many women. Gary recalled how the rest of the villa girls seemed to take spiteful interactions with Chloe and he’s always thought it was because of their jealousy towards her beauty and charm. Chloe managed to captivate almost every man’s attention in Love Island and the girls despised that. A dull moment was nonexistent with the dark-haired girl and having her here in his home has opened an extraordinary want he’s tried to not think about. His hand reaches for hers and stares with hopeful blue eyes, “I’d like to see you again…” 

Her vibrant amber eyes look up at him with a loss of words and intakes a shaky breath. She wasn’t expecting him to say something like that. She stands there stunned and attempts to say something but no words dared to escape through her teeth. She looks down at her hand, still being held by Gary’s. His grip felt so tender; almost as if he was afraid of letting go, “…Gary, I—”

An abrupt chime breaks the profound ambiance. Chloe slides away from Gary and makes her way to her phone, “Sorry…I’ve been expecting someone to get back to me.” She gives him a bashful smile as she makes her way towards her phone. She was quite astonished her battery has lasted this long. 

She lowers her head to view her screen notifications. Perhaps it was Carl getting back to her; she knew he’d come around at some point. It was just a matter of waiting until he’s completed his Manchester meeting. Chloe’s shoulders progressively slump as she moved her eyes side to side to re-read the text. There was nothing that could remove the scowl gravitating on her face.

A compelling presence is felt behind her. Gary had easily noticed Chloe’s discomfort in her body language and took slow steps to the brunette’s direction until he was right behind her. 

There was silence again but this time, it felt heavy and full of disappointment. Gary hadn’t known if approaching her was appropriate but his concern ignited in his chest, “…Is everything alright?” 

Chloe mid twirls her body to face the handsome ex-Islander and could only force a faint smile, “Y-Yeah…” She struggled to disguise the anguish in her voice but something was telling her she was doing a terrible job. Chloe defeatedly sighs out her letdown and grips tighter to her phone, “No, actually…it’s not alright. Carl has told me he wouldn’t be able to make it this last performance.” 

He frowns at the sight of the bothered musician. Gary draws himself closer to her and gently places his strong hands on her shoulders, “Hey now…” His voice felt reassuring and comforting; something Chloe had admittedly missed from Gary. He slightly tilts his head to search for her big golden-brown eyes until their fixated stare merge, “…Forget about him. You’ve got to focus on your big night, mate. I know you’ll be bloody brilliant.” 

Gary’s chest tightened out of pure adoration for this girl. Any minimal eye contact they’d share, the slightest brightness he sees in her pupils, the rare times they’ve hugged or have held hands—all that electrified the same spark he first felt with Chloe. He wanted to pour out the admiration and fondness he has for her. He wanted to tell her know how his life has changed after she’s entered it. He gulps his feelings and grins at the former villa girl, “How about we get started on that blinding cuppa? It always hits the spot.” 

Chloe weakly gives him a simple nod and looks up to see his sincere smile still lasts across his lips. Gary draws her in for a hug and to his surprise, she accepts it. Her arms wrap around his torso as she can easily feel his toned back muscles relax against her hands. There was a beautiful silenced comfort between the two as they held each other so affectionately. Chloe tries to keep her emotional gasp of air to a minimum once she senses his lips graze on her forehead. His full lips just stay on her skin and his hand travels to cup the back of her head. He was awfully tempted to deliver even the quickest peck on her forehead, just to demonstrate the appreciation he had for her…but he wouldn’t. Never had Gary known he carried so much willpower to resist a woman like Chloe. 

They loosen their loving embrace and meet each other’s gaze. No words were needed to be exchanged as their eyes expressed such hidden infatuation. Neither of them dared to articulate their true sentiments in words; too frightened of whatever they had going would expand to a divine tragedy. 

Gary clears his throat in hope that their tense atmosphere airs out and guides his gorgeous guest to the dining table, “Go on and sit, Chloe. I’ll bring over everything for us.” 

* * *

Chloe angles her neck to see out the vehicle’s window and identifies the familiar exterior of the hotel’s structure. The car’s movement stops and she shifts her body to spot Gary’s setting the gear level to station it. He catches her looking at him and smiles, “Well, this is your stop!” 

“Yeah…” Her slim fingers curl around the side door’s handle but pauses before opening the door. Her vivid eyes shift down to her legs and purses her lips together as if she’s in a conflict. Gary slightly raises his eyebrows out of curiosity and can only wonder what she may be contemplating about. Her head angles back to him and opens her mouth, yet no words transcend and clamps her lips shut again, _‘Ugh, why has this seemed easier in my head?’ _She laments loudly in her thoughts. 

Gary scratches his head and frowns at the quietness shying within the two. He looks to his side with keen blue eyes as Chloe calls his name. She slowly exhales her nerves out and centres her attention to the handsome blond man, “I was wondering if—You see the thing is…” She nervously laughs and shakes her head, “Sorry ehrm, I was just going to ask if you’d like to come to the show later tonight…?” 

He carries a speechless expression across his face and just as he’s about to speak up, the apprehensive musician unknowingly cuts in, “I reckon it’s last-minute and on a Saturday night but you’re surely welcomed to join and I know classical music isn’t really your thing but perhaps you can give it a try and—” She stops her idle chatter at the sound of Gary’s laughter. 

“That would be well nice…” The sparkle in his eyes drain and his lips fade into a frown as he sighs, “…it’s just that I’ve got plans with my mum and nan already. I would have loved for you to come with but you’ve got work and all.” 

Chloe tries her hardest to remain as cool as possible but her chest weighs in heavy disappointment. She plasters a small smile as she breathes through her nostrils, “It’s alright. I sort of had a feeling you’d say that. It’s just that…” Her pupils move around his lovely face and struggles to talk again, “…you’ve been so sweet and I don’t know how else to repay you.” She really felt so thankful for an unexpectedly wonderful night. It’s as if Gary was there to pick her up from her doubts in her career and even her personal life. He’s managed to make her feel so at peace and _happy_. Ironically, the same man that’s broken her heart brought optimism to her; Chloe hadn’t known how to feel about that. 

“I don’t need repayment.” He leans closer to her and gifts her a charming grin; such a simple grin she’s seen other men give her but somehow he’s made her heart flutter up her throat, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” 

“I am now and thank you…you know, for everything.” Even though she’s refrained her lips from smiling, Gary could see that her golden eyes smiling for her just as they glimmered contently back at him. 

* * *

** _Later that Night:_ **

Chloe’s paces back and forth and looks down at her hands; they’re unbelievably clammy from how nervous she’s felt. She’s normally a confident musician but considering how challenging her rehearsal week has been there was a tad of fear of failing. Besides, this was her last performance in Chatham and what if she doesn’t leave a good last impression? 

The brunette pianist shakes her head from such an absurd possibility. No, she had to excel tonight; it was her last performance as a pianist and who knew when she’d be offered such a magnificent opportunity. Her legs step to the corner of the backstage and peeks through the velvet curtains. Seems like the theatre was full! The art director wasn’t bantering when she said it was sold out. 

Chloe steps away from the curtains and leans against the nearest wall while her eyes are still widened out of overwhelm. She had to pull herself together; there was no time to get cold feet. She deeply exhales through her mouth and closes her eyes. There was a brief moment of serenity and could only hope to carry that over to the stage, “Come on Chloe, today’s rehearsal went alright.” The ex-Islander tries to give herself words of encouragement but it was kind of hard to accept them when her hands were shaking. 

Her legs make their way back to the corner of the same curtains and discretely looks out the theatre room; people were finally settling themselves for the performance. As much as she wanted to remain positive, her stomach twisted into reckless knots. She looks at the front-centre seats where it reads “_reserved_” and her frown deepens. That was an assigned row for the staff and for their parties but she did not have anyone there: no sign of Carl, of course. 

No sign of _Gary_…

She steps back and lowers her eyes to the floor and blankly stares at her pointed white heels. Chloe’s felt foolish for even thinking he’d show up. Besides, Gary has done a great job respecting her boundaries when that’s what she’s asked of him. 

The petite musical performer stays near the curtains as she waits for her turn to enter the stage. The sound of the conductor’s voice is muffled from backstage but she could clearly hear him announce her name. Chloe takes another deep breath to ease her nerves and struts her heeled shoes against the ground. She walks out with poise and smiles at the crowd as she waves with such welcoming cheers and applauses. The young Londoner shakes hands with the older conductor and generally greets the rest of the orchestra. 

Chloe makes her way towards the glossed black piano and stands beside the instrument to bow before the audience. Just as she skims through the crowd, her honey-colored eyes faintly shake with bottled emotions to see a spiked-haired muscular blond sitting right in front of her. All she’s felt if her heart thump harder against her chest and could only stare at such a wonderful sight. She reckoned it was all in her head but as she blinks, Gary remained there with one of his legs gently shaking and his hand over his cheek, smoothing out his golden facial hair. 

He looks back at the startled musician and couldn’t help but curl the side of his mouth into a flirtatious smirk and give her a wink. He wasn’t expecting her to fully respond to him; she had to keep it professional but if only he knew how much her heart was swelling out of pure happiness to see him here. Gary’s eyes took the opportunity to fully devour the exquisite elegance that Chloe exhibited; she looks absolutely spectacular in such formal attire. He may not know much about classical music but bloody hell, lucky was he to have a front row seat and ogle at a gorgeous pianist for the next hour. 

Chloe takes a seat on the cushioned bench and straightens her back to position herself for the show. She nods at the conductor to initiate the orchestra and steadily inhales through her nose, breathing out any lingering anxiety. Her head was spinning at the sudden sight of Gary here and that was all she could think about. He was an entrancing distraction but Chloe has to remain focused on her music. 

Her ears listen carefully to the symphony, every note was memorised and injected into her brain. Chloe’s hands hover over the piano keys as she prepares herself for her entrance. Her hands feel energised as she begins to flow with the rhythm. As the music starts to pick up its pace, her graceful hands dance confidently across the keyboard to the transition of the song. She’s starting to feel more relaxed and positive with how the performance was displaying. 

Gary sat there as he thoroughly studied his ex-Love Island partner. He loved seeing her lips pursed every time she’d tap on a higher note or how her back curved at times when she’d come to a steady part of a song. He could stare at this talented woman for days and not tire of such beauty and class. He could easily distinguish the passion and respect she had for the large instrument; anyone in the audience could identify that from her. 

This was it: the Sonata’s 3rd Movement. Her shoulder’s went stiff and rigid breath travelled through her nostrils, _‘You’ve got this, Chloe. Remember the times you’ve been practising..!’ _She couldn’t afford getting nervous now and only hoped her self-reassurance isolates the negative thoughts. Her fingers were moving the fastest she’s ever imagined and grew frightened of possibly not keeping up with the rest of the orchestra. She keeps her focused eye sight at her keyboard and creates an intense aura within her and the piano just as the song is almost complete. It was hard to ignore the absolute care and devotion Chloe’s put into the musical suite. 

Chloe’s fingers tap on the very last notes to conclude such an entertaining concert and is instantly rewarded with thunderous claps from the audience. Her hand goes over her mouth out of this amazing adrenaline and gradually, she feels an opened smile take over. Chloe couldn’t believe she finished the concert with no mistakes. She had no doubt her orchestra team was going to perform flawlessly but witnessing herself achieve one of the most ambitious piano pieces was so satisfying. 

She gets up from her bench and shakes hands with the conductor and with a few of the violinists that were near her side. The pianist clicks her heels towards the front of the stage and gently bows to the audience as they’re still persisting on their enthused cheering and clapping. Just as she finishes thanking the crowd, Chloe can’t help but linger her smitten stare at Gary. He’s clapping with the rest of the group of people but his eyes were intensely glued on her, observing her every motion, and all she’s able to do is clasp her hands together and try her very best to avoid the warmth greeting over her cheeks. 

* * *

**_Moments Later…_**

There’s a small crowd of people still mingling and chatting outside of the auditorium and Chloe briefly goes to each party to thank them for joining the performance. Her striking sunny eyes shift to the side to easily see Gary leaning against a wall looking at her with an opened smile and prudently waves at her. An older gentleman in the group was telling her how magnificent her closure was but all of her attention was at the isolated ex-Islander. 

“Miss Manseau?” Her head snaps back to the man and her sharp eyebrows arch as it adds a bit of wrinkle on her forehead. She’s only hoping he hasn’t realised her lack of focus on their chat. 

“Yes…!” She gives them a friendly smile and politely extracts herself from the group, “Thank you all for coming, I really appreciate it. Now, if you will excuse me; there’s someone I’ve been meaning to have a chat with.” 

Gary straightens his back as he spots Chloe approaching him. There was no way to hide the joyous grin from his face and his hands grip onto the offering he had for her. She’s carried such a magnetic presence tonight and it was hard for him to not admire her all around beauty, “Fancy meeting you here, darling.” 

The cheeky smirk he was giving her only makes her softly giggle and gives him a knowing look. Her head slightly tilts and scrunches her nose, “I thought you had plans with your—”

“Oh, I did! But I couldn’t miss your last Kent performance…” His voice softened at the last of his sentence to realise he wasn’t going to encounter his talented ex-partner after this. His heart sinks at her undesirable return to London. He’s grown so used to seeing her pretty face, especially waking up to her. This morning, it’s made Gary deeply contemplate what he was going to do with these suppressed up feelings he had for her. At any moment, he could be stupid enough to act upon them. 

He gulps in his absurd thoughts and spots the pianist coming closer to him and her fingers play around with one of her rings as she braves enough to look him in his deep blue eyes, “Well…thank you for coming over and…” A short laugh huffs out of her lips and shakes her head, “…Sorry, it’s just that I really hadn’t counted on you to come over; so it was a bit of a surprise.” 

“A good surprise, I reckon.” Gary looks down at what he’s been holding ever since he’s arrived. His eyes widened and lectures himself for not remembering about it, “Oh...! These are for you.” 

The blond crane operator stretches his arm out with a small arrangement of flowers. Her eyes light up at the kind gesture and grabs the offering. She looks up to see Gary rub the side of his neck just observing her reaction to the gift. He wasn’t used to all of this and only hopes he wasn’t looking like an absolute twit, “That’s very sweet of you, thank you.” She brings the flowers to her nose and finds the earthy fragrance inviting. Chloe keeps the flowers near her face to mask the faint blush creeping over her cheekbones. She hadn’t noticed when she’s started to feel so bashful today. 

“My nan’s told me you’d like them…” He sheepishly smiles. This really wasn’t his kind of thing: dressing in slacks, classical music—all of it was quite alien to him. He couldn’t remember if the flowers were supposed to be given to her after her performance on stage or like he did so right now; he just knew he’d mess up on something! Gary couldn’t forget how his nan practically pushed him to his room and put together his evening attire after finding out about Chloe’s last concert in Chatham. 

Chloe’s fingertips gently graze the soft colourful petals and glances at her handsome guest, “Has she picked them out? I must say she’s got great taste!” 

“Aw, mate! My nan’s got the best garden; she’s got all sorts of flowers. Maybe we can show you sometime?” The brightness in his face was so endearing whenever he’d bring up his nan. Any little details she’d hear about that woman has only made Chloe curious to meet her. 

The brunette Londoner lightly wiggles her head as she tries to outweigh the bit of silence and gives him a curious look, “…I’ve gone a bit peckish. If you’d li—”

Her eyes go wide and blinks to see Gary’s enthusiasm overlay his face, “I know of a bangin’ sandwich shop!” He’d taken Chloe’s word out of her mouth and put into his; she purses her lips together to avoid her laughter. His excitement was well cute and nods out of agreement. 

…

…

…

Time really wasn’t in their minds. It could have easily been hours of them sitting at the sandwich shop chatting about almost anything. Chloe rests her palm under her chin, slightly tilting her head as she observes the masculinity of the spiked-haired blond. Despite Gary’s cheekiness, she knew he hadn’t carried himself as a vain man. He is undoubtedly handsome with an amazing body structure but she knew that his humbleness levitated the attraction. Chloe had to admit that this was one of the qualities she had fallen for when she had first met him. 

“I’m telling you, Dicky is a great bloke but he can a right pain in the arse when he wants to.” 

Chloe’s light giggle fades and shakes her head at the stories Gary’s said about his friend; they seem to get better and better each time. She feels his eyes gaping at her with a thoughtful smile, “You look absolutely fit, by the way…” 

She raises an eyebrow as she finishes her gulp of water and smiles back at his random compliment, “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself; the new look suits you.” There was no way for Gary’s change of wardrobe to go unnoticed. It was rather appealing to see him in formal garments. The collared shirt seemed to hug his muscles in all the right places and it was kind of hard to be subtle when looking. It was nice to see him out of the typical plain shirt and jeans for once. 

The pianist’s phone buzzes against the table and she sees the name “_Carl_” lit on the screen. Her eyebrows lower and frowns, _‘Ugh, the nerve of him.’_ Part of her wanted to pick up the call and see what he’s wanted but the other part of her just wants to ignore him just like he’s easily dismissed her throughout the week. 

“…Is everything alright, love?” Gary frowns with her and lowers his eyes to her phone. He wonders what’s gotten her mildly upset. 

Chloe hits the ignore button and turns all her attention to the ex-Islander, “Yeah, it’s nothing.” She tries to smile to cover her inner annoyance of the Irish entrepreneur and hopes Gary doesn’t ask about him, “It’s not important right now.” She wasn’t about to let Carl ruin her evening. 

* * *

Just as Gary stations his car, he can sense Chloe silenced and it was surely her contemplating about something. He wonders if it had anything to do with that call she’d ignored, “I reckon it was a decent night.” 

Her head turns to his direction and he’s smiling. There’s nothing but warmth flowing thoroughly over her skin at the sound of his voice, “It was, actually.” Her fingers clutch to her coat and small handbag, “Thank you, by the way—for everything.” Her voice transitioned to a sweet tone and Gary loved every second of it. 

“Don’t mention it…” His voice leveled with hers, almost as a whisper. 

For some reason, they didn’t have the courage to say their goodbyes as of yet. They remained quiet to only hear the muffled noise from the outside. Chloe knew she was going to regret doing this but she hadn’t known what other way to give her gratitude to Gary; he’s been wonderful, despite of all circumstances, “…Would you like to stay for some tea?” 

It takes a short moment for Gary to respond just to hear about her invite. A broad smile curves his lips and there was no way to hide his pleased eyes, “Yeah, of course!” 

* * *

A click of the door echoes in the room as its pushed open. Chloe flicks the light switch and it illuminates the entirety of her temporary stay, “Come in.” She moves to the side and makes room for Gary to enter the lavish-looking room. 

Gary looks around to recall the last time he was here and is reminded of the unfortunate event of that day. 

_‘Considering how inconsistent this has been, I was thinking it’d be best to stop whatever it is we have going on.’_ He vividly remembered her exact words and how much it stung him. Gary despised the concept of not seeing her again but…now it all seems to be coming back to normal. 

He turns around to spot her fixing up the kettle and cups for their tea. He quietly sighs to himself and saunters over to her direction, leaning his elbows against the small counter, “I’ve only been in here once but it’s proper fancy! I’m almost certain your place is something like this.”

Chloe immediately laughs at his guess and turns around to give him an unsure look, “My place? It’s not _that _posh, trust me. It’s nicely decorated, smaller than this, but it’s nice.” 

“Reckon you miss your bed? I sure would.” His eyes follow her every move and observes her preparing their hot beverages. 

“I do miss my bed. My couch, my kitchen…” She slumps her shoulders and heavily sighs, “…my spoons.”

“Your spoons?” Gary raises one of his darkened thick eyebrows and chuckles at the random thought. 

“What..? It’s perfectly normal to miss essentials like spoons.” 

She hooks her index fingers for both cups’ handles until Gary swiftly comes around her side and takes the cups himself, “Here, I’ll do that. I may be a guest here but my nan’s taught me to be an accommodating chap.” He gives her a wink and Chloe playfully rolls her eyes.

As he follows her to the couch, he hands her over one of the cups and sits carefully to not spill the drink. Just as they are enjoying their tea, Chloe side glances at the bearded man settling his mug on the table and clears her throat, “You coming over to my last performance was very generous of you. I just can’t help but feel guilty that you’ve left your plans with your family.” 

A low thump is heard when she’s set her cup on the table and looks back at Gary, “Your nan probably hates me for stealing you tonight.” 

He throws his head back and lets out an amused snicker at the silly thought of his nan even disliking an ounce of this girl. Little did she know; his mum and nan scolded him for letting her get away, “Mate, my nan would like you and don’t worry about my family. All that matters is how bloody incredible you were tonight.” 

Chloe breathes out through her nose and smiles at the compliment. Considering her stressful week, she couldn’t believe she’s performed without flaws; truly it had to be a miracle, “…You reckon?” 

Gary curls a grin across his face at her response, “The best musician in all of Europe.” 

“Hmm…you know that’s a bold statement.” Chloe adjusts her body to fully face the crane operator, “Something a half-mate would say.” 

There was a distinguishable glimmer in his eyes after hearing that term again; a term he never thought he’d cling on to with fondness. He gaze lingers on each soft structure of her face and lands on those plush lips of hers. How he’s desired to just take her in his arms and steal a kiss from her; just to remember his most happiest moments one more time. 

He glances at her golden eyes to notice she’s also been staring at his mouth and he unknowingly quivers his chin. At some point, their faces have grown closer to the point their noses longly caressed. Gary can hear her gasp in their shared oxygen just as his brave hand cups her jaw. He shifts his head to the side and lands his soft lips against hers. Gosh, there it was. There was that spark he’s missed so much. It electrified through his mouth and made his entire existence tingle. Just for one moment, Gary had to be selfish and satisfy his craving and she was just as he remembered: sweet and delicate. He was ready to feel Chloe reject his advances but to his utter surprise, she hadn’t stopped him. In fact, Gary felt her respond. Her lips eventually moved with his—at first, hesitant but she’s managed to continue a slow and sensual snog. 

This all had to be in his head, right? There wasn’t any way that this kiss was real. Of course, Gary’s dreamt of doing this again and bloody hell, it’s a nice fantasy but her warm mouth felt so present on his. There was a moment when Gary wanted to open his eyes and see if this was real, but he refuses. If it was an illusion, he was happy with just that. His heart beats faster once he senses her hand holding the side of his face with her fingers softly grazing the outline of his stubble. Chloe tilts her head and deepens their kiss to have Gary instantly react to the gesture. His tongue parted her lips and enters to reunite with hers. 

He hooks one arms around her torso and pulls her body closer to his. Gary wanted to feel her pulse thundering against his skin while they continued kissing; he wanted to feel alive for once. Her hands slide down to his chest and can detect Gary’s heavy heart beats drumming under her fingers; almost as if his heart wanted to jump out of his skin. 

Chloe was trying her best to compose herself but he was kissing her with such desire and passion, she subconsciously responded with the same affection. He tastes herbaceous and warm, like the tea she’s prepared. Gary runs his hand up the length of her curved back and feels her softly moan in his mouth. Hearing her aroused to his touches once again was driving him insane. It takes him back to the times she’d breathlessly sigh his name at the rooftop terrace or at the fireplace. But this was some much different; there were no cameras, no one to interrupt— just them. 

Their wet engaged kisses got hotter, the rustling of their clothes were more profound, their heavy breathing interpreted their longing for each other. Gary’s mouth lowers to her jawline, planting slow pecks and reminding himself the spots Chloe liked. His lips puckered below her earlobe and faintly smiles against her skin to feel her fingers run through his scalp and tangle within his golden locks. The grip she had on him was what he’s always wanted; Gary didn’t want her to ever let go of him. 

The brunette beauty’s positive response to Gary causes him to lowly groan out his lust and it vibrates over her ear, “…_Gary_…” She achingly calls out to him and he obeys. 

He brings his head to level with Chloe’s and clouded eyes meet. The muscled man didn’t want to waste more time. His larger hands delicately cups her jaw and gently pulls her over for another kiss. He couldn’t get enough of that wondrous mouth. Minutes elapse as they are keenly invested into each other’s caresses and inseparable lips. 

Gary suddenly feels her loosening their closeness and detaches her lips from his. He gives her space but frowns to see her avoiding his eyes. He gulps in this terrible feeling that was growing in his stomach; as if he was anticipating something unfortunate to come out of her mouth. His blue eyes follow her direction and couldn’t decide to whether keep quiet or ask why she’s stopped. His hands push on his knees as he gets off the couch and comes right behind her. While the temptation was present, he’s careful to not touch her this time, “Has something happened…?” 

Just as he’s asked the one question she wanted to avoid, she couldn’t help but feel a knot in her throat to listen to his deep voice warily echo, “…None of this was supposed to happen.” She can feel his undeniable presence right behind her; his breath mere inches from her. 

“Look, I’m sorry for the snog but…,” His raspy voice caressed her ears with such loving words and goosebumps crawl under her skin, “I can’t deny what I feel for you.” 

Chloe shakes her head out of disbelief and only wishes her trembling hands would calm down. She turns around to face him and sees this devotion in his expressive eyes as he’s staring right back at her. Her pupils painfully shake as she can only remind herself why she’s put boundaries with Gary, “…You know I’ve been trying things out with Carl and—”

“I reckon Carl hasn’t given you the time or day to be with you.” There is this slight bitterness to his quick response just as his thick eyebrows lower at the thought of the Casa Amor lad. 

The London girl tries to catch her breath and is swearing to herself to not cry, “Carl deserves a chance…and you already had yours.” Her voice goes quiet. 

The bulky blond man feels a deep sting crippling down his chest to hear her say that. He remains silenced at her last words and can only blame himself for not protecting what he used to have with her. Yet, part of him couldn’t accept this rejection; not when he’s felt that mutual desire. Gary couldn’t ignore how her loving sighs encouraged him to continue kissing her.

He can easily detect her tears gradually piling up on those big honey-coloured eyes; almost like she was trying to resist her emotions. She despised how her skin was just itching for more of Gary. His embraces, his promising words—she wanted all of that but couldn’t lie to herself anymore. Her conscious kept reminding her that he’s no good for her and to recall what he’s done to her. Gary’s encounter was all just a huge mistake.

Gary can feel his face warming up and his eyes reddening. He doesn’t want to cry but seeing her so vulnerable because of him only breaks his heart. He steps closer to her and wants to lock eyes with her but she refuses, “I know my behaviour in the villa was wrong and I bloody hate myself for not recognising it at the time…” 

Chloe’s cold hands tremble at the contrast warmth of Gary’s fingers. His grip on her makes her breath go uneven. He then cautiously cups her face and finally gets to meet her saddened gaze, “…But when you decided to leave, I had no other reason to stay.” His voice breaks in between words and lightly squeezes her hand. 

Chloe retreats her hands from his and hates how much she still wanted to feel the false comfort from her ex-partner. She wanted to believe what he’s told her but what she’s seen cannot be forgotten. The distressed musician tries to lower her face but Gary’s fingertips lift her chin to witness her blinking out tears, “Please, just…_stop_.” She weakly whispers with heaved sighs, “You can’t possibly be serious.” 

The young crane operator couldn’t deny how much his chest ached to hear her distrust him and it was all his fault. He disparately wants to alter her opinion. Gary hadn’t cared what the rest of the UK had seen or heard on the telly; all he wanted was to have a chat with her and explain, “When I told you that I loved you before you left, it wasn’t out of impulse—”

“Stop it, Gary.” Chloe sharply inhales her broken oxygen and feel her tears trail down her cheeks. 

The brawny ex-Islander steps closer to her and tries to touch her face but she instinctively backs away. His emotions were getting the better of him, “Ever since you’ve left me, you’re all I’ve thought about.”

“Please…” Her trembling fingers hover over her mouth as she was begging him to not continue. It’s like he wanted to mess with her heart like before but his eyes were looking back at her with such fragility. 

Just as the dark haired girl walks backwards, her back meets with a wall. Oddly enough, she’s corned by his wide frame just like this morning. His hands come back to hold her face and his thumbs gently swipe across her cheeks, clearing any sign of tears. Her slender fingers wrap around his wrists but she doesn’t have the strength to push him away, “Gary, I—”

An abrupt knock catches both ex-Islanders’ attention and they remain still for a moment. The pair is genuinely curious of the the person behind that door. She’s wondered if it may be one of the staff members from the hotel. Chloe excuses herself and strides over to the front door. As the door is swung open, she attempts to remain as neutral as possible but the bewilderment swam across her paled face. Her mouth hangs open and can barely find her voice, “…Carl…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first of all, I'm sorry lol I was so late with this update but it's finally here 😭 Yes I love drama, yes it will continue, yes it will get worse, no I'm not backing down 😈 lol I appreciate each and every one of you who are still following this story. I may not be as quick as others but it's still something that I am dedicating time and effort to 😊 
> 
> Let me know what you think 👀 Until next time!
> 
> P.S. - If anyone wanted to know what Gary was whistling to, it was "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra 😉Have a feeling he would listen to what his nan might like. 
> 
> -toodles-


	7. I'm A Fool To Want You

There was truly no method to disguise her perplexed golden eyes. They’re widened with unsteady pupils that didn’t know where to look. As much as she wants to remain natural, there was not way of masking her disappointed frown. Carl stands there with a strained smile, slightly lifting the apple of his cheeks. He doesn’t know what to say to her as they stay in silence and grows nervous at how she’ll receive his abrupt visit. 

Out of anxiousness, Carl’s top teeth lightly grips onto his bottom lip, “Chloe, I wanted to surprise you.” 

He gulps in the awkward atmosphere and instantly notices the dislike in his friend’s face.Her arms are crossed and arches an eyebrow, curious to hear the rest of his excuse. A sarcastic chuckle swirls out Chloe’s tongue and looks up at the Irishman, “Well, I _am_ surprised, to say the least…”

There wasn’t a way to set aside the evidence of her puffy and reddened eyes. He subtly winces at the thought of the brunette ex-Islander crying. What he despised more was perhaps her tears were due to his lack of attention on her. It took some time to acknowledge the issue but Carl knew how careless it was to leave her alone and quite suddenly but it didn’t help that he’s prioritised his job even in his free time. 

His pale blue eyes go wide to sense the front door closing but his reflexes are faster. He settles his foot passed the threshold to stop the door, “Can we have a chat about this..? I’m really sorry I hadn’t come over earlier.” 

Chloe could feel her face heating up out of anger. It’s like he wasn’t understanding why she’s gotten upset at him. A deep and loud exhale shoots out of her flared nostrils and bitterly pouts at the distressed entrepreneur, “Don’t you understand?! It’s not about my last show. The point is that you’ve deliberately dismissed me so easily when all I’ve wanted was to keep us in-check.” 

Out of frustration, the tanned dark-haired young man runs his hand down his face and rests his exhausted head against the door, “It’s just that I’ve been busy with work and I don’t have free time like you do—”

Her shoulders tense at his weak excuse. Free time? Her job was the complete opposite; with drained rehearsals day after day. There were days her stressed fingers felt sore because of the excessive practises. She knew better than to make a scene and takes a moment to calm down. She couldn’t let her emotions get to her head, “So you suppose I don’t have a busy career? I hate to break it you but being a musician takes the majority of my days but I still find time for you..!” Until she’s finished with her rant, Chloe’s noticed how hostile her voice sounded. 

Carl groans and pinches the bridge of his nose, “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I know you work hard and…” His voice trails at mid-sentence as his distracted eyes are stilled at a wide masculine figure in her background; he’s instantly recognised the blond ex-Islander. Carl felt like his sight was deceiving him but he’s managed to blink a couple of times to only confirm Gary was here…with her. It almost felt like he was gazing at trouble itself. 

There’s a moment between both men. They lock eyes with spiteful frowns and surly silence. Chloe turns her head to glance at her former partner to see his irritable thick eyebrows scrunched together and looks back at raven-haired man. She gulps in the tensity of the two and lowers her eyes to the ground for a moment. All of this was not going the way she presumed. 

An undesirable chill runs up Carl’s stomach to see Gary approaching them and stands right behind the cellist. There’s this protective nature the spiked-haired man has towards Chloe. Carl has to be honest with himself; he isn’t quite fond of what he’s witnessing, “I, uh…I see you’ve got company.” His Irish accent thickens with awkwardness. 

“Gary’s come over for a visit after my performance…” Her sweet vocals comes to a quieter tone. She didn’t know what else to tell him but it was evident the amount of displeasure Carl composed by the way his eyebrow faintly twitched. The pause between the group was becoming too stiff. Chloe angles her head to search for Carl’s eyes, “…Is something the matter..?” 

It’s all coming together now. Carl now realises why she never answered his call earlier; she was spending time with Gary. An easy coldness creeps through his hands at the thought of her ignoring his call and there was an involuntary hiss that winded through his teeth. The Casa Amor man shakes his head. All of this was just a punch right in his gut, “N-No, I just um…” 

He really wasn’t expecting any of this and didn’t feel too comfortable talking about their issues with Gay around, “Can we have a chat, in private?” His hand tries to reach for hers but instantly feels her rejection towards the gesture. 

Chloe can sense Gary’s strong presence from behind. He lets out a frustrating sigh — the same warm breath landing on the side of her neck. His voice rumbles near her ear and all she does is stare at Carl’s ghastly features, “She’s tried closing the door already. I reckon you’d take that as a sign of leaving her alone.” The brunette Londoner can feel the spite in Gary’s words; almost defensive for her. 

“No offense but this is between me and Chloe, mate.” Carl was quick with his response and lowers his eyebrows to almost meet his annoyed blue eyes. He’s usually not a confrontational person but Gary’s comment felt irritable when he’s trying to speak to Chloe. There saw no reason for the blond ex-Islander to stick his nose into their business. 

“Listen, I’m not your mate—” Gary’s eyes flared with impatience until he felt a smaller hand softly push his chest away from the scene. He looks down to see troubled honey-coloured eyes staring back at him with silent a plead to not argue. His broad shoulders ease and is only focused on Chloe. 

“Gary, _please_. I should to talk to him.” 

He stared back at her with disbelief and deepens his frown. “You’re not being serious, right? He’s been an absolute arse to you and—”

“I appreciate the concern but I can handle myself, mate.” There’s a bit of a spunky tone to her words just as she raises her eyebrows. 

Gary tries to refrain an incoming smile to her sassy comeback. He _knows_ she can handle herself but he couldn’t just leave things unfinished; not after they’ve shared a kiss. He gently runs the back of his pale fingers against the smoothness of her cheek; the electricity of their grazed skin felt so powerful. Chloe quietly intakes a sharp breath to his loving touch and looks directly into those loving sky blue eyes. It’s challenging to describe the caress: it’s simple, unfiltered, but with yearn that is still magnetic, “I can’t leave without us having a chat about tonight, love.” The shakiness of his voice brings a beautiful shiver up her spine. 

She’s conflicted. Part of her wants to discuss everything with Gary and settle their situation but she also has Carl to deal with. Her nervous fingers comb through the thick layers of her chocolate brown hair. She straightens her posture and inhales all her scattered thoughts, “Tonight has been…” She exhales a nervous laugh, “…quite a turn of events. I-I really think you should leave.” 

Her eyes are quarrel and glow of heartache but never dared to even vocalise her feelings; at least not right now. Gary draws himself closer to the petite woman and his bottom lip involuntarily quivers to her request, “So I guess we’re not having a chat about us..?” 

She hated how tender his voice ringed; it only complicates her answer. Chloe’s mouth gravitates a pout to match his, “I…don’t know, Gary. We’ve discussed this before and I just don’t…you know how I feel about Carl.” 

There’s a terrible knot stubbornly twisting through the pit of her stomach to see the muscled man’s reaction worsen. His hand smooths out his golden stubble to veil his discomfort and gives her a discouraged nod. His entire body stiffens to such an unexpected answer. She was hard to read. Chloe has gotten closer to him this past week, they were getting along again, they’ve finally snogged…but she was quick to dismiss it all.

Gary couldn’t react to her uncertainty. His chest sufferingly tightens to know she’s still inclined to the Irish entrepreneur, even after all the shit he’s put her through. All the doubt and distancing Carl gave her should be enough to take the right decision. And…he felt like a proper fool to think she’d take him back. He avoids the musician’s fragile stare and looks down at his shoes. 

No other words were exchanged after Gary makes his way out the front door; not even a last glance at his ex-partner could recover this heavy weight he last experienced when Chloe left the villa. 

The door slams shut and all the dark-haired woman could feel was an unwanted numbness circulating in her throat. She couldn’t breathe, nor was there enough determination within her to blink out those stored tears. She parts her dry lips in hopes that her voice comes out but nothing. She really didn’t know how she’s felt of everything and can only wish that Gary had understood her position. Chloe glances to see Carl leaning his back against a nearby wall and his arms are crossed. She still felt anger building up at the sight of this man. 

He carries a worn-out face and lets out a jaded breath. Coming over to Chatham to surprise Chloe was not exactly a plan he felt utterly confident of — in fact, Carl anticipated to see her upset but never had it occurred to him of encountering that tattooed man again. The lean-looking Irishman shoves his hands in his pockets and hesitantly guides his legs towards the upset friend, “…You alright?” 

She shifts her body to fully face Carl and pushes some of her loosened locks behind her ear, “I think I’ll be okay. I do want to have a chat but not now, please. It’s been a long night and I’d like to talk things out with a fresh mindset.” Her vocals exemplified her feebleness matching her long frown. 

Carl offers her an understanding nod with pursed lips, “I’ve rented a room down the hall.” He brings a hand to his neck and briefly scratches out his nerves, “I’ll uh, leave then. Good night, Chloe.” His voice departs with a low tone and makes his way to the exit. He stops mid-step and slightly twists his torso to glance at the stressed girl, “…I-I’m sorry about everything.” 

Chloe doesn’t know how to respond to his apology. Before she can say anything else, she sees him closing the front door. 

Silence…

The absence of sound finally hugs Chloe’s clashing thoughts. She slumps her tired body on the couch and hovers her shaky fingers over her mouth, “What have I done..?” She loudly whispers and blankly stares at her thighs. All this has become a disaster and she couldn’t help but take all the guilt and fault. 

* * *

Gary tosses his keys over the counter and saunters directly towards the fridge. He knows a beer won’t fix anything but he really needs a drink to calm his nerves. He drops his heavy body over his couch and allows the alcohol to chug down all his mixed emotions. Gary licks his lips, savoring the lingering bitter taste of the beverage and lets out a broken sigh. 

He brings his chin up and throws his head back as his dreaded stare lasts on his ceiling. That last bloody sentence kept ringing in his head: _You know how I feel about Carl…_

The blond crane operator refused to believe what she’s said. It wouldn’t make sense to reciprocate the kiss and entertain the same amount of passion to only tell him she fancies Carl. He hisses out of annoyance at the thought of Chloe giving that bloke even the slightest opportunity to excuse himself for his neglectful actions. At first, Gary couldn’t feel upset at her for pursuing the Casa Amor lad. Carl seemed to be right on her lane: he’s older, career-driven, even a bit posh — Gary had to admit he hated how compatible that man was for her, while he was the complete opposite. Carl was careless of the what mattered the most; he managed to neglect such a precious piece of woman and Gary had no other option but to feel a bit of resentment towards that man. 

…But now, she’s with him again, doing who knows what. Gary brings his head back up and scratches the tattooed side of his neck. He had to stop thinking about it; all he was doing to himself was out of torture and his imagination went foul. He loathed to think they have already shared a kiss as engaging as the ones he’s had with her. 

None of tonight was supposed to happen. Perhaps it would’ve been best to have stayed with nan and mum rather than trying to be around his former partner. He groans out of frustration as he rubs the back of his thick fingers against his eyelids, “What a fucking mess…” He mumbles. 

…

…

…

He’s felt too sluggish to even change into his sweatpants but Gary’s managed to pressure in the effort. He climbs over his bed and flops his weight against the cool sheets. Blue eyes angle to his side and recalls last night; it’s crazy how just yesterday, Chloe’s slept here — cuddled him for warmth and gosh, she felt so affectionate. He wonders if she ever knew he slept in the same bed with her. The bulky man slightly alters his position, leaning closer to what was Chloe’s side. His face painfully softens at the early memory and instantly senses her lasting floral fragrance stained on the other pillowcase. 

He hated how much she’s distracted him from getting sleep; she’s distracted him ever since her stay here in Chatham — but loved gazing into those big sunny eyes and each time she’d smile, his heart throbbed out of adoration. Each inhale he takes, the softness of her scent dictates his lungs. He’s recalled how soft her skin felt against his, how their warmth felt nurturing, and each breath she’s let out in her sleep would caress his back. 

There are no words to describe how much Gary longs for Chloe; that kiss was not suffice to meet his needs. His body demands more of that petite musician and it troubles him to know that even the kiss he’s shared was mistakenly gifted to him. Until now, the brawny man has just noticed how much energy he’s bottled within himself. 

His mind clouds in lust for Chloe and each thought of her now heightens his excitement. Pale eyelids overlaps those shaky blue eyes and shuts them tight. Seeing her in his imagination took no time: she’s there with him, offering him that radiant smile that makes him melt. He used to like how her hands would hold his face with such delicacy. How those smaller fingers would trace the shape of his lips before she’d go in for a kiss. 

His hand rests against his abs and fingertips hesitantly trail lower and lower until the waistband interferes with him continuing his journey. Eyes still closed, Gary’s fingers linger over his waistband, contemplating about continuing with his needs. His body shivers to the overflowing stamina. For once, he wants to liberate all his selfishness and just for tonight — he wants to feel Chloe, even if she’s not with him physically; she’s fully present in his mind. 

Fingers slip under his pants and meets with the source of his sexual drive. A low groan flows out of his mouth but knows what to do to relieve himself. Gary’s hand envelopes around himself and takes slow and steady strokes. His face grows hotter at the thought of his ex-girl doing this to him. The blond man intakes a sharp gasp in response to his gradually increasing movements and bloody hell, he was thoroughly aroused right now, “Hah…fuck…” He murmurs in between hot takes of oxygen. 

He desperately throbs against his hand as the speed fastens to match his intensity. Gary’s abdomen tightens as he pumps himself out of his urgency. He’s tried all within his power to suppress her name from escaping his lips but he couldn’t help but picture the last time they had sex, “Chloe…” The muscled ex-Islander blurts out the sweetness of her name and it doesn’t help hearing her imaginary moans ringing in his ears; Gary only got harder. 

Gary squeezes his eyes tighter as he feels himself building up to finally release, “I’m gonna cum, babe…” He huskily moans a whisper against the same pillow Chloe had used last night. He rhythmically thrusts his hips into the air to match his rapid heartbeat and ejaculates to her delightful illusion. Gary whimpers out his last bit of pleasure and heaves out his hot breath.

The bearded crane operator collapses his worn out body back to his usual side of the bed and is barely trying to normalise his breathing pattern. Once he calms down, Gary quickly reaches out to his nightstand and grips onto some tissues to clean himself before drifting off to sleep. He shifts his wide frame to his side and spots that same pillow Chloe had used. He knew he was doing himself wrong but he couldn’t battle the want to draw in the pillowcase to his chest and bury his nose in it. 

Within his delusional hope, Gary can only wonder if Chloe was even thinking of him. 

* * *

Within the silence and darkened bedroom, gentle sniffles echoe to fill the emptiness. Chloe runs the back of her fingers across her warm cheeks and wipes those awful tears. There seems to be no end to her crying; the more she recalled Gary’s hurtful stare, the more tears she feels streaming down her face, “I’m such an idiot…” She quietly lets out those words between broken sighs. 

What’s worse is that she meant what she’s said: Carl is still a possibility and this whole thing with Gary must all be a mistake. Yet that kiss she had with him…

Chloe looses her breath just thinking about it. His lips felt just as soft and warm as she last remembered. How those strong arms held her with such fondness and care; it only persuaded her to kiss him back with the same amount of passion. The brunette pianist couldn’t resist the temptation — Gary was touching her in all the right places and all she could do was encourage him to continue. 

She lightly bites her lower lip and sinks her face deeper into her pillow, “It’s a good thing I’m going back to London in a couple of days and just…forget all of this ever happened…” 

* * *

** _The Next Morning: _ **

Nothing is going right for Chloe this morning and now this stubborn kettle didn’t want to turn on; just her luck, “Ugh, I’m about to give up on this bloody thing..!” 

Her body faintly jerks to hear the abrupt ringing of her phone; she couldn’t figure out why she’s felt so on edge today. She abandons the electric kettle to step towards her phone. Her honey-coloured eyes emptily gapes at the caller ID saying “_Priya_”. Last time she’s spoken to her was before coming over to Chatham. It wasn’t too long ago but goodness, it feels like an eternity. Chloe taps on the green circle to accept the call, “Hello?” 

_“Babes! Where are you?! I’ve just arrived here in London to sell a property. I reckon a nice visit for a friend would be nice but your neighbour has told me you’re out of town?!”_Priya’s cheery tone brought a small smile to Chloe’s face and didn’t realise how much she needed a friend right now. 

“Aw, Priya…I’m so sorry, hun. I’m working at Kent actually. My theatre director has asked me ofa favour and well, yeah. But I wish I was there! We could’ve been going out somewhere by now.” The brown-haired musician pouts at the lost opportunity to spend time with one of the only genuine people that’s accompanied her in the villa. It’s a shame she was in Manchester; the distance and their jobs were always complicating their free time. 

_“Oh don’t worry about it! There’s always a next time, babes.” _

“Hmm, I guess you’re right…”

There’s a short silence shared between the phone lines and Priya is quick to determine Chloe’s odd exhaustion, _“Is something the matter, hun? You sound a little…knackered?” _

She guides her legs over to the nearest chair and shakes her head. As much as Chloe tries to remain as collected as possible, she had to admit that her worries always exhibit through her demeanor and it’s easy to tell when there’s something wrong. The dark-haired performer purses her lips and roughly exhales through her nose, “…You wouldn’t believe what’s happened to me this past week.” 

_“You know you can tell me anything, Chloe. What’s happened..?” _The older friend softens her voice out of comfort. 

At the remembrance of all her events with Gary throughout the week, she breathes in to find her calming point and gulps in the storm of flashbacks, “You know how I’ve told you about my performances in Kent? Well, out of all people to encounter, it had to be Gary!” 

A loud gasp almost sucks in Chloe’s ear from the phone, _“Oh my days, hun! What?!” _

For a few seconds, there’s a pause between the two friends as they’re both processing the information until Priya disturbs the silence,_ “…Is he still fit..?”_

Chloe widens her round sunny eyes at the question, “Priya!” She chides at her former villa companion but can clearly listen to her laughter. 

_“Whaaat? It doesn’t hurt to ask, babes.” _

The French-Londoner slumps her shoulders and surrenders to the question, “…Oh Priya, he’s just as handsome as I last remember. And for some stupid reason, we’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time together. I’ve tried really hard to not be around him but…” Her palm goes under her chin and fingers lightly drum against her cheek, “…I dunno, I have to end things with him. Besides, I’ll be coming home tomorrow. Even though I don’t plan speaking to him afterwards, I also don’t want to end things in a bad note.” 

_“Look, why don’t you give him another chan—”_

“No, no..! I-I can’t. I won’t forgive myself for giving Gary another shot.” Chloe pushes her wavy side bangs behind her ear and can’t decide if it’s appropriate to tell Priya about last night; she couldn’t keep her thoughts bottled up in her chest, “…Hun, please promise me you’ll keep this to yourself!” 

The darkened-red haired woman scoffs and depicts her offense with her sharp tone of voice, _“I can’t believe you’d think I’d spill anything to anyone, you have my word!” _

“I know! I just ugh, this just happened last night. Okay, so…I might’ve erm, snogged the bloke—”

She’s interrupted by Priya’s reaction and puts a bit of distance from her ear and the phone to avoid the squeal from her friend. Chloe wrinkles her nose at the loud screech of excitement that was coming from the estate agent. If this is how Priya reacted, it’s a good thing Chelsea wasn’t here to listen, “Look, it was a mistake and I plan on telling him that. I’ve already done wrong by allowing him to spend time with me…it wouldn’t be fair to him nor me.”

_“…What if you two are just in the need of sex?” _

Chloe raises her eyebrows out of confusion and frowns at the comment. She wasn’t really understanding the suggestion, “What..?” 

_“Yeah! Okay, hear me out. Perhaps it’s not really a relationship what you and Gary are searching for. Maybe it’s just a sexual tension that needs to be explored.” _

The young musician sinks more into her chair and blushes at the possibility, “…I dunno, babes…” A quiet mumble escapes her lips. Part of her wishes that was the case and it would be an easy fix but then again, there was an aching tug coming from her throat to think it’s all because of a sexual drive and nothing more.

_“You definitely don’t have to do it, Chloe; it’s just a thought. But, it is something to think about. A lot of people just have sex to let out that tension and that’s it! You’re relieved, Gary’s relieved: problem solved!” _

Her golden eyes disappointingly lower to gape blankly at her knitted-like morning slippers. To a certain point, it angered Chloe if Gary was only after her to fulfill his needs. Her phone buzzes to a notification and sees a text from the spiked-haired blond, _‘Speak of the devil.’_

She knows her decision-making hasn't been the wisest recently but just this last time, she'd like to give him a proper farewell. Tomorrow will be her last night in Chatham and she's determined to leave him in her past for good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my story 💛💛💛I know my updates keep getting longer but here is the next chapter! I appreciate each and every one of you who has kept coming back to my fanfic. I have grown quite fond of it and I promise that I'll try to keep myself as active as possible. I know the update was longer than usual but I had gone on a hiatus for a couple of week but again, thank you for all the support 🥺
> 
> Gary went a little naughty 👀 but can you blame the guy 😂 let me know your thoughts fam 😏 
> 
> Until next time!


	8. Run

She doesn’t know how long it’s been but Chloe’s been blankly staring at the same text message Gary’s just sent. Her pupils keep reading the simple request over and over again whilst imagining his baritone voice ringing out the same thing he’s typed. She can already make out how he’d soften his tone of voice to those same typed words and Chloe would fall right into place with that.

For a moment a faint female voice is heard, mumbling from her phone and Chloe gasps at her forgetfulness. The young pianist got so caught up with Gary’s message, she's forgotten about Priya on the other line, “Babes, oh my days. I’m so sorry,” she brings her phone to her ear and hovers her freed hand over her mouth out of embarrassment. A sheepish smile lightly curls Chloe’s lips, “I’ve forgotten about you for a bit. It’s just that I’m, um…I’ve got so many things to prepare for my trip back home. Let me finish here and we’ll talk later, yeah?” 

_“Don’t worry about it, hun. Call me whenever. I’ll be in London for a few days. Hopefully we can see each other when you get back.” _

Priya’s light-hearted voice never disappoints and brings a smile to Chloe’s face. She’s hopeful that she gets to see her again and nods to her words, “Of course, I’ll let you know. We’ll talk later, then.” 

Still with the phone on hand, the dark-haired Londoner brings her eyes to the same text. She feels determined to properly say goodbye to the crane operator before leaving Chatham but Carl is also here. The golden-eyed beauty pushes herself off the seat and quietly paces around the room, overwhelmed with the unwanted mess she’s unintentionally created; she hates it, she really does. 

Both men roam around her head. Such contrasting personalities yet they have their own unique charm.Never has she thought that she’d genuinely fall for someone in Love Island. She recalls how loving and fun her journey with Gary was. Her bright hazel eyes grow gentle at the memories of their time together in the Villa. Waking up to those sleepy blue eyes each morning was brightening enough for her. 

Her back presses against a nearby wall and carries a melancholy frown as she inclines the back of her head against the hard surface, thoughtful of her time in Spain. She knew she had wasted her time there. Her heart was being played around with and leaving that night was her last bit of tolerance. Chloe wasn’t going to allow such foolery to evolve within her character; she knew better than to stay in the Villa. Time is exactly what she needed. Time to recover and disconnect herself from everyone and everything. Months have passed, thinking that she’s truly moved on. But seeing Gary again after some time only proves one point: Chloe hasn’t been able to get over Gary and she feels disappointed in herself. 

Chloe intakes a broken breath at how stupid enough she is to still carry an attraction towards Gary and at the mere remembrance of last night’s kiss, she blinks out the painful memory of her heart fluttering to Gary’s lips keenly pressed against hers and how she deepened the same lust. She hates that she enjoyed every passing second of their mouths reuniting and never had she believed of having any willpower to stop their kiss. 

Her mind trails off to the raven-haired Irish friend. Chloe crosses her arms and shakes her head at his surprise visit. 

He’s an extraordinary man and ever since Casa Amor, there was an undeniable energy between the two. She never brought him back to the Villa to remain loyal to Gary and Carl knew that. But now, under different circumstances, the entrepreneur found the opportunity to get closer to Chloe after their time in the show. It’s indisputable that Carl has been attracted to Chloe since the first time he laid eyes on her. Now, he’s been persistent to pursue her and respect her wishes to remain as friends but he’s only wishing that she’ll consider him as something more in the future. 

The anxious dark-haired cellist brings her hands over her face and groans. If only she had purchased her train ticket for today rather than tomorrow, she could just escape all of this nonsense. Her hand reaches out for her phone and taps through her contact list, “I have to talk to Carl and settle this whole thing straight,” she quietly says to herself. 

Chloe almost immediately receives an answer back from the text and will be expecting Carl over here anytime soon. There is no explanation as to why, but there’s a heaviness to her chest at the upcoming chat she’ll be having with Carl. She only hopes that she’s taking the right decision and have him understand. She pushes herself off the wall and sighs out all her troubles. Right now, all she can ask for is for a hot, relaxing shower before facing Carl. 

* * *

**Later in the day.**

The petite Londoner fastens her walking towards the door at the sound of a few knocks. Opening the door, it reveals the familiar raven-haired man. His faint blue eyes immediately land on the brown-haired young woman and press his lips into a reserved smile. Carl nods at the ex-Islander as a greet, “Alright, Chloe?” 

She subtly upturns her lips to return a polite smile, “Yeah, thanks. I feel a little better today. Come in, please,” she moves a little to the side and gestures him in welcomely into the room. 

Carl takes a few steps into the same room he’s seen before and feels the musician’s presence coming from behind. He turns to her direction and shoves his hands in his pockets as she guides him to take a seat, “…Would you like something to drink?” She softly asks and doesn’t hear an immediate response from her friend; as if he’s thinking to himself and swiftly dusts off his shirt after taking seat.

His eyes follow her as she takes a seat beside him and eventually gives her an answer to such a simple question. Ever since this morning, he’s felt quite distracted at the early flashbacks of astonished and hurt golden eyes. What he couldn’t get rid from his mind was the sight of that muscly blond ex-Islander. The tech entrepreneur only wonders why Gary was even with Chloe. Just before Gary left, it was undeniable to see the tension between the two ex-partners. Just with Gary’s faint caress on the pianist’s face before leaving and how conflicted her bright eyes gazed back at the crane operator: it was all conspicuous for Carl. He’s tries not to think about it too much but it’s evident that there was still something going on between the former couple. 

“No, I’m fine. I just had coffee before coming over.” Carl’s quick to notice her fingers playing around with a decorative pillow and looks up to view her small pout. She’s quiet for a while until she sucks in a bit air to collect her thoughts. In fact, the two of them sit in a bit of silence and avoid looking at each other.

Her big hazel eyes gleam in disappointment and parts her lips, “Carl, I…” She stops herself to shut her mouth again and shifts her eyes to the floor. There’s no bravery within her to look into the Irishman’s eyes after how she reacted to his visit last night, “I’m sorry about yesterday.” 

Carl can’t help but feel stumped to hear a ring of regret in her vocals, almost like she’s shameful. He shifts his torso to fully face the cellist, “Chloe, I dunno why you’ve apologised. I should be the one apologising.” 

Chloe’s frown widens and slumps her shoulders, gliding her pupils to the side as she thinks, “Hun, but I _have_ to apologise! It was wrong of me to have snapped at you when you were just trying to surprise me. I-I reckon there was just so much going on all at once, I didn’t kno—”

She stops speaking to sense the warmth of his fingers grasping her smaller ones; his grip was at first hesitant but determined, nonetheless. Chloe stills her eyes on the Casa Amor man to listen to his interruption, “You had every right to feel upset. I, um…” He lips bites his bottom lip and ponders at how stupid he’s been for avoiding Chloe’s calls and texts, “I’m a proper idiot for not taking some time for us and I just, I dunno. I guess I thought surprising you last night sounded like a good idea. I hope you can forgive me?” He finishes with doubt to his last sentence. 

It took all of last night to understand why she was so upset at him when he thought coming over was a great idea. Stubbornly, Carl skimmed through what he’s done to identify his wrongs and always concluded that he hadn’t done anything upsetting. Tossing and turning was all he did last night, overthinking and trying to see what he’s done; that was until this morning. He can’t blame Chloe for feeling remorseful, especially when he was stupid enough to belittle her career. He truly didn’t mean any of that and always admired her for the indisputable talent she carries. Carl wasn’t good with words and only wishes for her forgiveness.

Chloe’s eyes ease, matching a warm smile across those full lips of hers, “Only if you forgive me.” 

A short chuckle breaths out of Carl’s mouth and carries a relaxed grin, “I’d be stupid to not forgive you.” He inclines a bit closer to her, instantly sensing her familiar floral fragrance dancing over his nostrils. Chloe feels his soft lips peck against her cheek; it’s a gentle kiss of affection under her cheekbone and he pulls back to view her pretty face. 

Carl’s smile gradually downturns and mirrors the brunette's gravitated pout. There is something else that’s bothering her and she remains in silence as she gulps in the guilt of giving Carl hope of eventually becoming something more with her. She knows that peck on her cheek was not given to her as a friend but more as a sign of romantic desire. Chloe leans back and creates some space between the two, exhaling a heavy sigh, “Carl, there’s something I need to tell you…” 

The dark-haired man blinks out the seriousness in her voice and intently listens to what she has to say. The curled brown hair strands are pushed behind the shell of her ear and she looks directly at him. She will never feel prepared to tell him this but she can only follow her gut and do it for not only herself but for Carl’s sake, “Okay…” she straightens her back as she collects her upcoming sentence in her head, “Ever since you left, I fell into a lot of bad stress due to my last performance. My rehearsals were quite embarrassing, to say the least. Days went by when I couldn’t get a single note to come out well. At some point, I dunno how I started chatting with Gary. Him and I began to hang out and he's helped me out a lot within the past few days. I didn’t know how else to thank him for being so kind so I invited him to last night’s show.” 

Chloe takes a brief pause and doesn’t really see a reaction from Carl. She couldn’t tell if he was hiding any certain emotions or if he’s genuinely waiting for her to finish her story. Another nervous breath releases through her nose and her lashes flicker at what she’s about to reveal to the Dublin native, “Last night, when you saw me and Gary here, we shared a kiss a little before you came over…” Her voice faints at the last bit and her heart beats faster than usual as she anxiously anticipates his reaction to the exposure. 

All Carl can do is remain his pale blue eyes on the musician as she carries immense shame for what she’s done. He blinks out the animosity of visualising the image of Gary snogging the girl he’s been fancying ever since Casa Amor. He wipes his hand across his upset face and tries to recover from the news but his deepened frown still persists to stay. Even though he tries to dismiss the idea of Gary and Chloe having a thing, deep down inside, he knows Gary still lingered in her noble heart. When he encountered that bulky blond man at the club, there was this indescribable energy swirling between Chloe and Gary. Even though words were barely exchanged,their loving eyes spoke for them. Carl never brought him up out of respect for the brunette beauty but he couldn’t continue lying to himself either. 

Chloe grows more nervous to not see Carl respond and she speaks up. She can easily see a bit of his beautiful skin tone drain in colour and his jaw clenches at times. She hates what she’s done; she hates seeing him like this and it’s all her fault but it’s only fair for him to know. Her shaky hand cups Carl’s tense jawline and levels her sympathetic eyes with his pained ones, “Hun, I’m letting you know this because I reckon you deserve to know everything and not be lied to. Even though we’re only friends, I know you’ve been patient with me and I haven’t been the easiest person to convince when it comes to relationships.” 

The older Casa Amor lad gives her an understanding nod and feels her hand slip away from his face, only wishing for her to not let go so soon. Carl quietly inhales his stored emotions, “So, I guess you and Gary are a thing again now, huh?” 

Her golden eyes slightly widen at the assumption and scrunches her upper lip with Priya’s words from the morning in mind. Perhaps she’s right; Gary and her just need to release whatever tensionthey’ve had. It could just be that there’s an energy that they need to satisfy but she’s still a bit unsure for the motive of their kiss. Chloe’s promised herself that she’d never give a man a second chance and Gary is no exception. One thing she is absolutely certain of is that she’s not necessarily ready to step into a new relationship and she wants to make things clear to Carl. She’d hate to waste his time when he can easily find himself another great woman to share his amazing qualities with, “Mate, just because Gary and I kissed, doesn’t mean we’re a thing. But, I just hope you understand why I’ve told you about what’s happened between me and Gary. I’m very flattered that you’re considering me for a relationship but I’m sure there’s another girl out there that will be lucky to have you as a boyfriend.” 

That was the main problem. Carl hasn’t been able to envision anyone else in Chloe’s place. After leaving Casa Amor, he’s tried dating other women but it never resulted with second dates. Visiting London for a business trip only came along with a pleasant surprise to encounter that glamorous petite brown-haired girl gripping onto her cello case that was almost as tall as her. Ever since then, he’s felt completely blessed to spend time with Chloe. While it does hurt to hear about the kiss, he has to appreciate her honesty and he won’t confess it to her, he’ll still remain with hope that she’ll someday consider him more than a friend, “You’re quite a sound girl, you know that?” He gives her a small grin but briefly twitches a glimpse of sadness. 

“Oh, stop that. I’m just doing what’s right. I know I wouldn’t want to be lie to,” Chloe nervously chuckles to ease the tense conversation she's just had and feels a little better after seeing Carl more relaxed afterwards. She takes that opportunity to lean towards him, resting her hand over his and gives it a light squeeze, “But thank you for being so understanding about my feelings. I just need more time to think things through and I _know_ that a relationship is not it.” 

“No problem. Just as long as you know I’ll be here for you…” He takes advantage of their hands touching and grips onto her slim fingers, bringing her small knuckles to his lips and gives her skin a brief peck of endearment. 

“I know you are,” Chloe sweetly smiles to hear his unique Irish accent and is grateful to have a great companion like Carl. 

“So, when are we leaving? I reckon you miss London already.” He adjusts his seating position and rests his back against the sofa’s cushions. 

Chloe gently groans and throws her head back at her stupidity. At some point during the week, she assumed Carl was never going to come back for her, so she impulsively purchased her train ticket. The good thing is that it’s a short distance and it wouldn’t take her long to arrive home, “Oh my goodness, Carl. You’re going to kill me. I didn’t think about you'd be coming back and stupid me has already purchased a train ticket back home.” 

Carl frowns and hums out as he thinks of a solution, “Perhaps we can get your ticket cancelled?”

She shakes her head defeatedly, crossing her arms and sinks deeper into the sofa’s comfort, “Nope, no returns can be made.” Chloe regretfully sighs and shrugs at the aftermath of her decision-making, “I’ll have to take the train but I feel bad you’ve come all the way here for nothing!” 

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s not that bad of a drive, I’ll manage. Besides, I postponed one my meetings in Essex and I could try to make it back if I leave tomorrow.” 

At some point, Chloe didn’t know if Carl was telling her this directly or if he was thinking out loud. She hops off the couch and stretches out her laziness. As much as she disliked packing, she needs to finish that, “Well, while you think about that, I’ll be in the bedroom gathering all of my things and packing.” She rolls her annoyed eyes and just wants to get that task over with already.

She really wasn’t looking forward to it. Easily, there must be an outfit out in the loose and has to scavenge the entire room again. 

* * *

**In the evening.**

The elegant London native carefully walks to each aisle, skimming through what she can take for her short journey tomorrow. Miraculously, she was able to put all of belongings together without much time needed and took the opportunity to visit a local grocer’s. Normally, she needs a whole day dedicated to arrange her suitcase the same way she packed it the first time. By the time she had finished, Carl confirmed with her about going back to London today and trying to make it to Essex on time. Although he made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, she’s felt quite liable for having him come all the way down to Kent just because of her. She admired how dedicated he was for his work but she could only ask him to take it easy for the sake of his health. 

Her thoughts come back to neatly arranged products on the shelves and still doesn’t see anything worth to purchase. The train station doesn’t really offer much and she knows she’ll become a bit peckish on her way back home, _‘Hmm, nothing interesting here,’ _she thinks to herself. 

The brunette pianist makes a swift turn to the next aisle and strolls over the side, leaning over to see what other items are offered. She grabs a small box and stares at it deciding if this might be her travel companion or not. A faint grumble is heard near Chloe’s direction. Her curious golden eyes shift to the side and spots an older woman frustratingly shaking her head and is still muttering under her breath. It seems like she’s struggling to reach for something from one of the shelves and out of instinct, Chloe takes a few steps closer to the older woman. 

She takes notice of the problem and it's a bottle of pepper that's at the end of the shelf; even Chloe could have trouble reaching for it but for the sake of the older woman, she wants help, “Oh, here. Let me try to grab it for you,” the young dark-haired girl goes on her tip toes and pushes her heels up to increase her height. She stretches her arm out and manages to grab the bottle of seasoning, handing it over to the elderly woman giving. 

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart. I would’ve never been able to reach that bloody pepper,” the elderly woman’s voice is full of warmth and gentleness yet with endless strength. She quickly glances at Chloe and back at the bottle as she briefly laughs, “My stubborn grandson went off to find this at another aisle.” 

Chloe curls the edge of her mouth into a small smile and hums out a short giggle as she listens older woman expressing herself. It only takes that bit of chat to see the grey-haired lady’s charisma, she seems like she’d be entertaining to monologue her life stories. For a moment, Chloe notices a certain glow in the woman’s face when she takes a better look into the musician’s face— almost like she’s recognised her from somewhere. The senior stretches a smile on her wrinkled face, “Oh goodness, I know who you are. Your name is Chloe, isn’t that right? I used to watch that pretty little face of yours on my telly.” 

For a moment there, the ex-Islander wanted to believe that she was talking about her classical concertos but it must be Love Island. Chloe still hasn’t gotten used to people approaching her about Love Island, especially living in the capital of England, but she’s managed to dodge a lot of the paparazzi, which was mostly the issue. A dark eyebrow arches as Chloe gives the older woman an amused smile, “Oh, yeah. That sounds about right,” the golden-eyed girl pushes her wavy side bangs to the side and nods confirming the woman’s assumption. She never thought that the demographic for the summer show also ranged to the elderly or perhaps she was just a modern woman, “That was surely me.” She gives the wrinkled woman a bashful smile. This whole semi-fame thing isn’t something she really likes and never put much thought into it when she accepted to be part of the Villa’s cast. 

“Well, I must say that you look more beautiful in person, my dear. I can see why all those boys went after you.” Her soft voice cracks a laugh within those vintage vocals, “Oh, if only my grandson would get here. I can tell you he’s fancied you for sometime. He’d be one delighted lad if he were here right now.” 

Chloe responds with a flattered smile coinciding with a bit of tint glowing over her cheekbones to the compliments, “I’m sure he’s a wonderful person.” 

“My grandson is an absolute treasure. He’s was actually—”

A masculine voice interrupts their conversation and it’s a fair-skinned brawny spiky-haired blond man sauntering over looking down at a glass container he has on hand, “Oi, nan! I haven’t found your pepper but I did find those olives you were looking for earlier.” 

Startled sky-blue eyes longly lock with big golden-hazel ones as they share a concise pause. Their ears go numb at each other’s sight, only feeling their heavy heartbeats thundering loudly against their chests. Just yesterday had they seen each other but somehow, they’ve managed to take each other’s breath away. 

Gary manages to part his lips and gulps in his nonexistent words. He clears his throat until he finds the courage to speak up, “Chloe, um…I wasn’t expecting to bump into you.”

While he’s tried to not be obvious, the discomfort he feels of seeing her is evident. What Chloe doesn’t know is that he couldn’t look her directly in the eye without thinking of how he’s masturbated to the thought of her and her beautiful voice lovingly sighing his name over and over again. It was still fresh in his mind and he admits to himself how unsatisfying it felt without really having her there with him. The crane operator should’ve known better this morning, but he couldn’t wait and imprudently sent Chloe a text message asking her to have a chat. Gary needed to see her and finish telling her how he still feels about her. Needless to say, he never received an answer and the only explanation he could think of is that she’s busied herself with that Irish bloke. He truly feels like an idiot for thinking his ex-girl would ever reconsider taking him back when she’s got someone like Carl. Although the Casa Amor lad has ignored Chloe at a troubling time for her, Gary hates to admit that it’s not as bad as his own faults. 

The elegantly poised cellist breathes out her anxious oxygen and offers him a friendly smile to mask her overwhelm to Gary’s existence appearing right before her eyes, “Neither was I but I was having a lovely chat with _your nan_ just now.” She adds a bit of emphasis at the mention of Gary’s nan, never thinking she’d have the opportunity to meet the woman he’s always fondly chatted about in the Villa. 

Her radiant sunny-coloured eyes shift to the older woman and gives her a sweet smile, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs.Rennell. I had no idea you were talking about Gary when you mentioned your grandson.” 

Next to the elderly woman, stood Gary with concerned eyes. He can only hope that his grandmother hasn’t said anything too embarrassing to Chloe, especially when she knows the history he’s had with the Londoner. But on the other hand, seeing two of his favourite women getting along brings warmth to his heart and can’t help but half smile at them interacting; it’s what he’s always wanted. Perhaps it’s not exactly how Gary’s pictured it but he could at least say that they got to meet. 

“Oh! I’ve just had the most wonderful idea. Chloe, my dear; why don’t you join us for our Sunday dinner? I’ll be preparing my roast dinner. It’s my boy’s favourite.” The older woman brings her chin up a bit, proudly announcing her specialised dish and looks over at Gary to see his reaction. He’s already pinching the bridge of his nose and quietly groans at how his nan is handling the whole thing. Him and Chloe haven’t really been in amazing terms and doesn’t want to make his ex-girl feel uncomfortable. But he can’t blame his nan for inviting the dark-haired girl over. Just yesterday, he’s told her how great it’s been with Chloe but didn’t have the endurance to tell her about how last night went. 

Chloe blinks her astonished honey-hazel eyes and presses her nude-coloured lips into a strained smile, discreetly trying to decline the offer, “That’s quite generous of you but I’d hate to intrude—”

“It wouldn’t be a Chatham visit without trying my dinner roast. After all, it’d be rude to not invite my grandson’s stunning _friend_ over,” she cleverly tries to convince the young woman and subtly nudges her elbow on Gary’s torso, “I’m sure Gary will love for you to also meet his mother. I reckon she’ll be just delighted to meet one of his friends from the show.” 

Chloe lingers her bewildered frown on the older woman insisting to come over for their traditional dinner and glides her eyes over to the handsome muscular blond. When he meets her gaze, he apologetically shrugs and mouths out ‘sorry’ but she replies with a light-hearted smile, “I guess it _would_ be nice to finally taste your dinner roast. Gary’s always talking about it.” 

“You can bet your sweet bum that it’s the best in all of Kent.” The older woman chuckles to herself and grabs the glass full of olives from Gary’s hand, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go purchase these and we can all head straight home.” It’s funny to hear his nan speak with such high self-praise about her cooking. Chloe can tell Gary’s confidence is hereditary. 

“Mate, I’m sorry about my nan. She never takes ‘no’ for an answer.” Gary’s voice rumbles near Chloe’s side and makes her head turn to his direction. 

A light giggle muffles in her enclosed smile and looks up to still spot a stressed crane operator, “Don’t worry about it. She’s very charming, I can see where you get it from.” 

The blond man can’t hide the growing grin stretching across his bearded cheeks. Her compliment caught him off guard but cherishes every second of it, “I’ve learned from the best,” he cooly replies. 

The same grin slowly transforms into a frown as he begins thinking about her not answering his text message from this morning. Gary steps closer to the classical instrumentalist and gently flickers his eyes at the impetuous choice he’s made, “I’m also sorry about sending you that text earlier today. I shouldn’t have done that and I also need to stop being such a knobhead with you, darling. Seems like I do the unthinkable when you’re in the picture.” He lightly scratches the tattooed side of his neck and only wants to know that she's forgiven him. Gary didn’t insist later in the day as he started considering how much she must’ve had going on. 

Chloe’s eyes go wide and instantly shrinks her face into a cringed frown as she lets out an exasperated sigh. Her fingertips rest over her forehead and remorsefully looks over at Gary. She’s mentally kicking herself for not getting back to him, “I’ve completely forgotten about the text! I busied myself all day packing and putting everything together for my train back to London tomorrow.” 

London. 

Every time Gary hears that city’s name waste her breath, it only makes his chest painfully clench to know she’ll head back home and forget about him. He swallows in the bitterness of their time together actually coming to an end. Gary wants to remain with positivity that Chloe will open her heart just a bit to let him in one more time but something tells him that Carl’s already taken his place. 

All he can do is shake off his thoughts and curls his lips into a smirk as he gapes at the elegant French-Londoner, “I’m actually buzzed for you to try my nan’s food. I reckon it’ll blow your mind away.” All the blue-eyed man can do is learn to enjoy the last bit of company she’ll be gifting him for tonight. Wildly enough, they’ll be heading to his nan’s home and have Chloe as a guest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there you guys!! I've come by to drop the 8th chapter 👀Looks like it's Chloe's last night at Chatham and she'll be spending it with Gary's fam and she finally got to meet the famous nan 😌I wonder what's gonna happen next 🥴 
> 
> I want to take some time to properly thank each and every one of you for continuing to read this story. I know it's been a while since I've last updated but I've also been working on "Blue and Hazel". For updates on that story, you can search me at "mrsgaryrennell" on tumblr or "garyrennell" for my dearest most amazing co-writer 😭 she's amazing. Be sure to also check out her other fic called "The Villa's Star-Crossed Lovers" 💛💛💛
> 
> Let me know what you guys think of this update. I can't wait to share more of this Gary and Chloe journey 😭


	9. No Time To Die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🙈omg you guys, guess who updated today? lol I have finally returned for Chapter 9 👀and this is probably one of my favorite chapters I've ever written because it's a little bit of everything and I really hope you guys like it 😭I just also want to really appreciate everyone that is still following this story. I know I have been updating gradually but I'm still sticking to the story because I just can't let go it it. It's too precious. Anyways, I hope you guys have fun reading it the feels lol

There’s no denying that Chloe’s mind has been racing throughout the entire commute. She hasn’t no reason to be nervous but there’s something nerve wrecking about not only meeting Gary’s nan but, in just a moment, she’ll also meet his mother. This is certainly not how she was thinking of spending her last evening in Chatham and whilst it’s an endearing gesture from the older woman to invite the classy musician over for a home-cooked meal, Chloe’s insides pinch in discomforting turns. She’s heard so countless times about his nan and his mum back at the Villa and now, the elegant Londoner is about to meet the woman that’s given him life. 

She, then, feels a large hand take up her entire shoulder coated thinly in a high-branded sweater, his generous warmth enticing her with such comfort that makes her sensitive heart flutter to her throat. His gentle baritone voice rumbles near her ear, “Don’t worry, love. I reckon my mum will be chuffed to meet you,” Gary earnestly smiles out his words. 

Chloe looks over to spot the blond man looking slightly down at her, lovingly. His light blue eyes beautifully shine with the sunset rays glazing his smooth skin. The glamorous brunette steadies her golden-light brown eyes with his, almost hypnotising for the former couple. There’s no need for any exchange of words when their gaze electrifies in the short silence. A discreet cough huffs out of an elderly lady, making the younger adults break away from their stares and look over to see the grey-haired woman throwing them a knowing look, her wrinkled mouth trying to suppress a delighted smile to witness how undeniable Gary and Chloe’s attraction towards each other is. 

“Come here, boy— make yourself useful and carry these bloody bags. You don’t expect me to do everything around here, hm?” Her voice is sharp but still carries that gentle tone within her vintage vocals. 

Gary groans to himself as his nan hands over the bags filled with everything she’s purchased at the store, not expecting for the loads to be this heavy, “Nan, what have you gotten? I don’t remember grabbing all of this?” He curiously asks when his memory skims through the small basket she had him carrying around the aisles; he’s sure not all of this fits in one little trolley. 

The little lady takes out her home keys and easily finds the one for her door, “Oh, hush now..!Quit your chitter-chatter and go put that on the counter. Always a curious boy, you are,” she shakes her head whilst affectionately patting his wide bulky back as he’s the first to enter the threshold. The second the spiky-haired man enters, his voice immediately greets someone who’s already inside.

Gary’s nan gently smiles over to the visibly amused girl who’s still standing graciously to the side. The nan exhales a short chuckle when she notices Chloe’s thumb hooked under her chin and a short manicured index finger tapping over her lips to keep her smile from growing. Now she can understand what Gary’s meant about his nan’s character; a true woman to admire, really. The older woman is witty with her vocabulary and doesn’t take much time to snark back at Gary but she’s undoubtedly the nurturing type. 

“Can you believe I’ve been dealing with this lad for 23 long years? I’m surprised I’ve lasted this long after my hip replacement surgery— 12 years since then and I can still dance to Dean Martin,” she laughs to herself and Chloe whole-heartedly giggles to see the older woman sample a bit of her confidence. 

The dark-haired cellist raises her eyebrows with a half opened smile to see how impressively feisty the older lady really is. Only can Chloe hope that she’s this energetic at her old age in the future. She’s almost sure Gary’s nan had the time of her life 50 years back when music was at its peak with artists like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. It being such an iconic era for music, Chloe’s love for oldies will continue to wish she was alive around that time for her ears to witness such magnificent rhythms of instruments.

“The cheek of that doctor told me I had to rest for my recovery but how could I when I had a grandson to take care of,” the aging woman tuts at the memory. There was absolutely no way she was going to sit around when Gary needed to be looked after. Especially, considering that his mother had nothing but work in mind to provide for her child; that poor woman didn’t have any time to spend with her son. 

“I’m sure you’ve enchanted your fair share of boys back then with your dancing skills, Mrs.Rennell,” Chloe corners a grin to see the woman’s reaction, almost as pompous and confident as Gary’s whenever he’s given a compliment. 

“Oh, my dear. When I was your age, I had men begging me for a dance and they’d come back for more,” she sighs in remembrance of her youth and looks over at the interested musician, “I could teach you some pointers but I’m sure you already have a line of lads whenever you walk by.” 

Both women share a light-hearted laughter at such a generous offer coming from Gary’s nan. Coming to a bit of a disappointment to know their chat has faded, the hazel-eyed woman can only wonder if the older woman will share her timeless secret to luring men, thinking that it should be an interesting tale to hear. Sauntering past the front door, Chloe’s pupils will easily distinguish the warm and light colours beautifully contrasting within the walls, decor, and furniture; a charming and humbled home that a traditional grandmother would have is the only way to describe this residence. Her delicate nose quickly picks up on a glorious fragrance of musty spices dominating her lungs as she breathes, it being the only scent that lingers but a lovely one, nonetheless. 

The dark-haired musician’s golden eyes land over to a distanced kitchen and there’s a middle-aged woman skirting from one end of the kitchen to the other. She’s busied herself whilst Gary’s nan had gone off to the shop. 

“Ah, you lot are back so soon?” The woman asks loudly as her head hovers over the stove. She eventually turns around before anyone could answer her and lifts her head for astonished eyes to spot a petite stunning brunette with light curled locks and draped in luxurious garments but levels with modest amber-hued eyes. 

She just can’t seem to hide her pleased smile forming on her matured face, clearly watching the young girl Gary’s endlessly chatting his infatuation about ever since he was in the Villa. Gobsmacked at the sight of the bulky blond and his former partner in here, it’s taken her some time to say anything from her end. The middle-aged woman rapidly grabs a loose rag and dries her hands before leaving the kitchen area and fastens her pace to make her way over to Chloe’s direction. 

“I see you’ve brought a lovely guest for tonight,” her eyes shift between the ex-Islanders, trying her best to not showcase such an evident overjoyed to see the elegant French-Londoner in the flesh. Not even the telly or pictures could capture how utterly gorgeous Chloe is in person. 

The talented cellist curls her full lips into a kind smile over to the woman that has a piercing light blue eyes, strongly resembling Gary’s. Before the glamorous-looking girl could introduce herself, she feels the crane operator’s deep voice coming from behind, his warmth breath gently tickling her neck as he speaks. 

“Mum…” he softly calls out to her, swiftly catching the woman’s attention and her beautiful smile still hugging her cheeks as she looks over to her son and back at his Love Island ex-partner, “This is Chloe Manseau. She’s a close mate of mine.”

His mother’s eyes seem to brighten after being formally introduced to the girl she’s positive will always be the perfect match for her son. Knowing about Chloe’s visit to Kent and actually meeting Gary several times has radiated hope that he’ll receive another chance with his former partner. She looks over to the refined brown-haired girl and comes a little closer and goes in for a hug, already sensing the musician’s expensive floral scent, “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you, Chloe.”

The hazel-eyed girl instinctively wraps her arms around the older woman and returns the sincere hug, already feeling how kind and warm the blond man’s mother tightens her embrace before letting go and resting her hands on each side of Chloe’s shoulders. It’s refreshing to see how approachable Gary’s nan and mum are when it solely matches his sociable and friendly personality. Indisputably, the pianist admires the commendable unity he has with both of them. As much as he’d talk Chloe’s ear off about his nan and mother back in Love Island, their characterizations left her with deep curiosity how his family is and now meeting them, he probably has one of the most charming and easy-going people that surround his life. It reminds her of how nurturing her family is. 

“The pleasure is all mine,” Chloe sweetly responds whilst signaling admirably around the intimate interior of the house, “And, I must say your home is quite lovely.” 

“I’ll gladly take that compliment, my dear,” a friendly elderly voice is heard from the distance of the kitchen wasting no time and occupying herself with the various dishes she’s preparing. 

Gary continues to glide his expressive sight, intently observing all three women he’s found pivotal in his life, still in disbelief that the hazel-eyed beauty is physically here meeting his family. Only has the crane operator dreamt of this ever happening and somehow, keeping his gentle gaze at how engaged his mother and Chloe are chatting builds this serenity of emotions expanding throughout his wide chest. His pale face subtly falls with uncertainty, wondering if all of this is perhaps a false illusion he’s constructed in his mind. After all, because of his nan’s stubbornness, she’s managed to drag Chloe over for their Sunday dinner, not knowing if the poised instrumentalist had other plans of her own and fell into this forced invitation to spend time with him and his folks. The thought of the golden-eyed beauty just staying here out of pity shoves layers of embarrassment and discouragement weighing over his strong shoulders. He’s now wondering what if the genuineness that Chloe’s displaying to his mum is masked with that beautifully dimpled smile that makes his hefty heart flutter without much effort. Looking at how the classical cellist’s hand rests on his mum’s forearm as they air out a light-hearted laugh together erases the recent doubt about the London beauty. Gary even internally scolds himself for feeling iffy about Chloe’s sincerity when that’s her written all over and one of the many qualities that made him fall hard for her. 

Whilst his mum and and the elegant ex-Islander proceed with their talk about her visit in Chatham, Gary’s nan saunters over their direction and gives the middle-aged woman a knowing look through those large glasses, “I reckon I’ll need another pair of hands in the kitchen if we want to have that dinner roast by tonight,” she states as she places those delicately wrinkled hands on each side of her waist, waiting for Gary’s mother. 

“Oh! That’s right, I’m sorry. I just got caught up talking to such a lovely young lady,” the blue-eyed woman replies to the nan but her stare comes back to their beautiful guest and gives her an endearing smile, resembling more of a thankful beam for returning into her son’s life when he’s been nothing but a serious lad ever since coming back from Spain.

She recalls how worried she was of her son when he would cancel multiple gatherings, excusing himself as not being in the mood, or dismissing other times Dicky and the rest of his close mates would try to pull him over to the pubs but, without hesitation, Gary easily declined the offer when he normally is the one to gather people. And now, with Chloe back in his life, he’s become himself again. The life in those deep blue eyes have restored with layers of shimmer whenever he would mention the slightest detail about the stunning girl with vibrant amber eyes. Even though she completely understands why the pianist decided to cut ties with her son because of his idiotic behaviour in the Villa, she can only pray that Chloe finds it in her heart to forgive Gary and permanently stay with him when no other girl has ever been this trustworthy and reliant. 

The nan lays a fragile but sturdy hand on Chloe’s back and lightly pats her with familial affection, “Now, my dear. I’ll finish up in the kitchen and _Gary_ can make you company in the meantime, hm?” She heavily suggests, hoping that these two spend more time and takes the opportunity to observe just how her grandson behaves with the woman he’s been fancying. She knows how cocky and overly confident he can be with girls in general but ever since seeing him on the telly, whenever him and Chloe would interact, there was this particular tenderness in his handsome face that shimmered lovingly and quite strangely, it’s the first time she’s ever seen that look on Gary’s face; almost like he was in love with the posh brunette. 

Just at the mention of food, it sheds a glimmer of enthusiasm within her sunny-coloured irises, “Mrs.Rennell, I can’t possibly sit around. I mean, I’d love to help out if you’d like,” Chloe openly extends her proposal with a bright smile, just imagining all the food she’ll be able to devour in one sitting. 

A small chuckle huffs out of the elderly lady and nods approvingly to view how much excitement overflows out of the cellist at the mention of her food, “Oh, that’s well kind of you. I ought to show you my old-fashioned mashed potatoes recipe. Ah, it’s to die for, I’m confident you’ll love them.” 

Gary blinks his stunned eyes, not believing what he’s just heard coming out of his nan’s mouth. She _never_ shares any of her recipes, not even to her longtime neighbours that have become outstanding friends. His mum still can’t capture completely a lot of the secret ingredients from those delicious mashed potatoes but somehow, Chloe’s managed to convince his nan to release such confidential information on one of her most cherished sides. Hell, not even with his previous girlfriends has his nan ever invited them to the kitchen to help out. She was always afraid that one of them would mess something up but with the dark-haired pianist, there was no hesitation to accept the help. He, then, senses a firm hand land on his bearded chin and forces his mouth to close. The blond brawny man never realised his mouth was hanging open out of shock and spots his nan’s hand letting go of his strong chin. 

The elderly lady looks over at her own dumbfounded grandson and elbows muscular torso before departing with Chloe beside her, “Close your mouth, boy. I’ve raised you with better manners, I reckon,” she mildy scolds the younger blond and instantly clamps his mouth shut after catching himself with his jaw slightly dangling again. Gary’s quick to curl a pleased grin after seeing the two different generation women ambling their way over to the stove and whilst he’d love to hang around them but the crane operator is sure his nan will push him out and shoo him away to avoid any distractions.

* * *

** _Later in the evening…_ **

With one hand, the poised London girl grips onto some silverware, carefully settling the set of utensils for each seat. She can hear the faint chatter between Gary and his nan coming from the other side of the area. Chloe can’t help but smile out a faint giggle to hear a groan coming from the blond Chathamite after his grandmother frustratingly throws her arms in the arms and instructs him to get out for the second time. A few hours have passed since she had the opportunity to spend more time with Gary’s nan and mum whilst cooking. Ever since her time in Kent, she’s spent many of her days by herself in that empty hotel room. If she was lucky, either Carl or Gary would keep her company but coming to this adoring house and surrounding herself with such fascinating and amiable people, she must admit that it’s become her most favourite thing next to performing at the theatre here. Chloe’s never felt so welcomed at someone else’s home like Gary’s folks and undoubtedly, she feels disappointed that this will be the first and last time of ever interacting with them. Just as the cellist’s graceful fingers adorn the last of the silverware, her head turns to hear that familiar masculine voice. 

“Alright, Chloe?” Gary asks, his voice nothing but a gentle sound of harmony at the say of the hazel-eyed girl’s name. 

Chloe simply nods, her fingertips loosely playing with one of her rings before looking up at the blond’s handsome facial structure. It takes her a moment to properly respond, not understanding why she’s finding it difficult to concentrate on their small talk when her gaze can’t help but get lost into those profound ocean eyes, “Yeah, I’m just um, helping with the—” 

Her velvet rich voice cuts to see the bearded man come closer, blue and amber eyes never abandoning their stare. Neither of the ex-Islanders can understand why but ever since they’ve shared a kiss the night before, there’s this undeniable tension that’s been clouding their heads with an abundance of want. Neither of them have dared to mention anything about it and decide to remain in their silence, swallowing their desire to reunite their mouths once more. Especially in a place like this, it wouldn’t be appropriate to have such carnal thoughts but the view they had of each other is tantalising enough to randomly act upon it. 

Feeling the same anxiousness from the beautiful brunette, his large hand grips onto her slightly fidgety ones, making her stop playing with her silver ring. A soft gasp lovingly inhales Chloe's chest at the gentle touch of Gary’s rough fingers engulfing hers. 

“Seeing you with my folks was a proper treat, love,” he says with a charming grin carving the edges of his full lips. 

Chloe lightly giggles as she shortly exhales through her nostrils. Her dark pupils lightly shake whilst gulping her desire to follow along with the potential flirting. She knows better than to allow herself to surrender to this man. Especially when the musician has promised herself to yield anything else from happening between her and Gary. 

“Well, you know how much I love my food,” she cooly responds factually, instantly noticing how playful those light eyes shine behind his black frames. “And, I can tell you that _nothing_ will stop me from grabbing seconds or thirds.” 

Gary heaves in an amused chuckle and shakes his head at Chloe’s foodie comment, seemingly the girl taking it as a challenge. He remembers when he took her to the sandwich shop and managed to finish 2 whole servings without even batting an eyelash at the intimidating portions the place served. One thing he’s certain of: his nan loves seeing someone with an appetite when eating her food. 

“Or fourths?” The crane operator sneers at the impossible act of such a small young woman even finishing a quad amount of his nan’s food. Not even he could obtain such digestive endurance. The blond ex-Islander freezes his entertained smile when Chloe isn’t following along and lingers a small pout, confused at what exactly Gary was laughing at. 

“I mean, it depends how peckish I feel. Sure, why not,” the sophisticated pianist effortlessly shrugs and now she’s the one finding the spiky-haired man’s perturbed frown kind of funny after the way she’s responded. 

“At least we know someone here will leave clean plates,” a friendly older voice is suddenly heard from behind.

The crane operator turns his torso whilst Chloe angles her neck to the side since the blond’s bulky body shields the rest of her sight. Her big bright golden-hazel orbs peek out to spot Gary’s mum leaning over the dining table and carefully settling the finished potatoes. The elegant instrumentalist is now wondering how long the blue-eyed woman had been listening to their chat but quickly assumes that the only thing she might’ve heard was Chloe’s eager enjoyment for food. 

“Sweetie, the dinner roast is ready but it’s too heavy for me or your nan to carry that bloody thing all the way to the table. Have you got a bit of muscle to spare and bring it over here?” His mother half-jokingly asks as she directs her sight at her strong son. 

It doesn’t take Gary long to be accommodating and shortly makes his way beside his mother, wrapping a muscular arm around her slim shoulder. He gives her a brief yet adoring hug and looks down at her with a goofy grin stretching his golden bearded cheeks, “Oi, I’ve got a good one. What do you call a small mother? A mini_mum_.” 

The handsome Chathamite bursts out a thunderous laugh that vibrates the room with his lonely amusement, clearly finding his terrible joke worthy of acknowledgement. His arm is still around the unimpressed mother and lightly shakes her shoulder to get a reaction but he, instead, shrieks to feel a staggering pinch on his elbow. 

“You’re one to talk,” the mother light-heartedly rolls her eyes and snarks at Gary but an immediate annoyed frown downturns his mouth after calling him short. She bossingly claps her hands at him and ushers the brawny man to the kitchen for the dinner roast, “The roast won’t bring itself here, Gary. We’ve got a hungry young lady on our hands.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want her waiting too long,” the handsome blond curls a smirk over at Chloe and follows it with a cheeky wink before departing for the main course. “I’ll be right back, darling.” 

Not much time has taken for the wrinkled lady and her grandson to come back with the impressively massive dinner roast the Londoner’s heard so much about. Quite frankly, it looks utterly spectacular and just as Chloe’s imagined it. Her gorgeous hazel eyes tentatively shake as her gaze and nose intently follows the exquisite sight of the bronzed-coated roast along with that savory fragrance that dances along her nostrils, tauntingly. The hypnotising image of the main course sits right in front of the hungered brunette and as much as she wants to instantly dig in, her etiquette comes first and patiently waits until the rest begin to serve themselves. 

After setting the nan’s food at the centre of the table, Gary saunters his way to the chair next to the classy musical performer and bends his knees to take a seat, not only ready to finally consume his most favourite food but to share this moment with Chloe and see her first reaction to tasting his nan’s legendary dinner roast. He crooks his neck sideways, getting a glorious image of the petite woman already widening a smile, visibly excited to dig in. 

“Mate, my nan’s roast will knock your socks off,” the blond man voices out his assurance but instantly notices how the golden-eyed girl arches a beautifully trimmed eyebrow at the expression. It’s just a saying but her head keeps bugging her at the thought of wearing heels with socks. They’re surely not as appealing as her sheer tights, that’s for sure.

The previous Love Island contestants look down to take a quick glance at Chloe’s cream-coloured pointed heels which have a bit of exposure to her bare feet, and clearly, there’s no sign of any worn socks. Both of them lift their heads and swiftly meet eyes, the talented London girl throwing Gary a knowing look and tightens her lips into a suppressed smile all when the blue-eyed man sheepishly grins and gently huffs out a chortle to how strange the chat has gotten. It’s not the first time he’s had daft conversations with her and admittedly, the tattooed man thoroughly enjoyed little details like that. 

“Well, you get my point,” Gary states, certainly pleased to know he’s got Chloe mutely shaking her head and gently giggling, gracing her upturned lips out of hilarity. 

“Stop distracting her, boy! I wouldn’t want Chloe to try my dinner roast all cold,” the nan glares at her grandson whilst placing the loaded dishes in front of the younger pair. She always finds it hard to keep him from being too chatty at the dinner table. It’s a proper loudhouse when Gary invites his friends over for Sunday dinners; having them all rowdy with their youthful cackling. But, she eventually manages to kick them out of her home and have them continue their banter outside at her garden. 

The grey-haired woman comes over to Gary’s side and carefully lays down his portion in front of him. Before taking her own seat, she lightly pats his strong back and smiles down at his enthusiasm towards her food. Just as she is aware of her grandson’s love of her cooking, she’s confident that Chloe will be just as infatuated about it, too. Right when everyone begins to consume their plates, the nan’s wrinkled eyes steady behind her wide frames on the beautiful musician, anticipating what her reaction will be to her first bite. 

Instantly, the first contact of her eager taste buds to the savory protein, Chloe slumps her shoulders out of contentment for such an exclusive delicacy. All senses of the entire room disappear when it’s just her and these spectacular levels of flavour dancing gracefully in her mouth. Easily, this has to be the best meal she’s ever tried in her 25 years on this Earth. Gary wasn’t exaggerating back at the Villa when he’d glorify his grandmother’s cooking at any chance he’d get. Her jaw clenches in numbness at each movement of chewing to the older woman's food, still in awe of these wondrous spices uniformed so perfectly in her mouth. Her brightened amber eyes shift over to Gary’s nan, wishing she could properly thank her for a wonderful meal but the food remains in her puffed out cheeks. 

Chloe finally swallows the last bit of the exceptional dish that she was working on but without having the ability to speak up, she is still trying to recover what she’s just experienced; all she can do is shake her head in amazement. At this point, the older woman huffs out a joyous laugh filling those gracious vintage vocals of hers. It’s such a thrill to witness the glamorous brunette completely relishing her dinner. The hazel-eyed girl sighs in satisfaction with her elegant fingers gripping onto the lightweight napkin, and delicately wipes the corners of her mouth. 

“Oh, Mrs.Rennell, this must be one of the best meals I’ve ever had,” Chloe utters her positive praise, remaining stunned at how fascinating a dinner roast could really be. Of course, the classy theatre performer has attended many dinner parties with her family, friends, and work colleagues when this specific dish is the main course but Gary’s grandmother really has outdone herself with such a beautifully adorned meal. 

The older woman tilts her chin upwardly, almost in a pompous manner to hear the appreciation the young woman has for her cooking skills, “I knew you’d like it, my dear.” She responds, assuredly. Her facial muscles curl vainly for her recognised culinary effort, sort of resembling a similar body language Gary would have whenever he gets cocky about himself. 

The room comes to a short void of anyone’s voice, only to hear the clink sound of silverwave tapping against the plates. Someone clears their throat and the middle-aged woman decides to break the silence, “So, Chloe. My son’s told us that you’ve come here for some theatre performances?” She asks keenly. 

The stunning dark-haired girl confirms with a nod, her tiny fingertips covering her mouth as she finishes the food in her mouth, “Yes, actually. I work for the National Theatre as one of the head cellists but my performing arts director has sent me to be a fill in pianist.” 

“Oh, a pianist? That’s quite impressive, I must say!” The blue-eyed woman half smiles back at the refined guest and takes a notice at how quick Chloe is to continue her chat about her career. Seemingly, it’s a subject the young instrumentalist is very invested in. Similarly, just as passionate as Gary is regarding machinery and his cranes at the construction site. 

“The Kent audience has been so welcoming and lovely. Despite it being a smaller theatre, they know how to clap loud enough for all of London to hear,” only allowing her giggle to shortly linger, the attractive pianist huffs out a sigh from her plush lips, remembering how this is her last night in Chatham. 

There isn’t any way to determine if she’s relieved for going back home and resume to her same life as she had before the Villa or if this hollow numbness that keeps stinging down to the core of her sensitive stomach means anything. The thought of never coming back to Chatham makes her chest painfully tighten knowing well that it’s because of Gary. As much as she doesn’t want to think about him, that crane operator has become the messy highlight of her trip to the SouthEast. Chloe can’t really distinguish why but her eyes succinctly blink out a sheer disappointment to know she’s going back to the capital.

“Although, it’s a shame I’ve already had my last show. I’m heading back home to London tomorrow.” Chloe mutters out the last bit of her words, trying not to glimpse over at the silent brawny Chathamite, she can’t help but wonder what he’s possibly thinking. 

Hearing the word ‘London’ only draws an intruding shiver up Gary’s back to recall her upcoming departure. He can’t believe how fast time has passed by and even though it was around a week, he’s grateful to have had the opportunity to see those captivating sunny-coloured eyes once more. The only problem is that after seeing Chloe, he’ll never be able to forget those high cheekbones, that little beauty mark sitting on her right cheek, her flawless light beige skin, the earthy fragrance of roses on her chocolate brown locks, and that velvet-silky voice that reminds him how comforting she is. The muscular blond flickers his lashes when he begins to imagine having to date other birds but only will it be the ravishing musician graciously seducing his thoughts. No other woman will ever be able to fill in this void in his chest the way the Londoner does. With that thought, Gary acknowledges how unbalanced their relationship has been. After tonight, he’s absolutely sure that he’ll never get to speak to Chloe again and bloody hell, it hurts to know that. 

Until now, the handsome crane operator notices his pale masculine fingers have been tightly gripping onto his fork whilst blankly staring down at his food. He tilts his head to get a view of his nan giving him a concerned look, her mouth mirroring his same frown. Not wanting to concern his grandmother, Gary shakes away all of his gloomy thoughts and plasters a smile, hoping no one sees right through his bruised emotions. 

“She’s a proper talented bird, I reckon. You wouldn’t believe how fast Chloe’s hands can go,” the blond man overflows his baritone vocals with rave towards the modest performer, although his compliment makes the brunette woman ease in a thankful smile. 

“It’s a shame we never had the chance to see you perform,” Gary’s mother laments a sigh to know the brunette’s soon departure. Hearing how devoted she speaks of her job constructs the idea that she must surely be as amazing as Gary is mentioning. Perhaps, at a London visit, she’ll be able to see the stunning French-English girl perform. 

Chloe’s fingers gracefully grip onto her glass of water, drawing it close to her lips whilst speaking, “If you had a cello or a piano here, I would be delighted to play you a number or two.” She offers, half-jokingly.  


As much as the golden-eyed Londoner would like to entertain Gary’s folks with a little music, it’s a shame she can’t drag her instruments everywhere she goes. Especially after being heavily fed for tonight, guilt of just coming in here and enjoying the food without anything else to offer continues to annoyingly poke her conscious. 

Gary’s nan grins at the ex-Islander’s generous offer, completely forgetting about Gary’s failed hobby when he was a little lad. Blinking over at a secluded corner, the wrinkled woman gapes at an untouched wooden-coloured piano. She hasn’t heard that thing ring a note ever since Gary was in his early adolescence until he ultimately gave up on it for the gym. She chuckles out as her finger pushes her glasses to the middle of her eyebrows, “Funny you say that, because I actually have a piano right over there,” the old lady points across the room. 

Feminine full lips slightly part and vibrant amber irises lightly shake in pure excitement to find out they have a piano in this very home. Her gaze follows where Gary’s grandmother was pointing at, her small torso slightly turning along with her head and finally spots an old-fashioned piano dulled in color due to its age but even from afar, the instrument stands with a classic beauty. 

Chloe turns back around, her face illuminates with layers of incitement for the piano. She faintly arches her eyebrows and curls a small grin, “Mrs.Rennell, do you know how to play it?” the musician asks, curious to know if she carries any artistic talent of her own.

With a gentle laughter echoing the room, Gary’s nan shakes her head at the question and gulps the last bit of her delectable dish, “Oh, heavens no! I’ve never laid a finger on that piano. It’s just been sitting there for years and collecting dust, really.” 

The petite brunette girl’s shoulders fall a bit to find out the elderly woman isn’t the one with the musical talent, only growing more curious to find out who’s the family member that has abandoned such a charming instrument. Her big bright eyes blink over at Gary, noticing how awfully quiet he’s been after his nan mentioned the piano in her home. She faintly tilts her head and pushes her long bangs behind her ear after becoming more observant of the blond bearded man. His blue eyes shift over to meet her mesmerising gaze and offers her one of his enchanting smiles, promptly with Chloe allowing the corner of her lips to form a small smile in return. There’s not much of a need for vocal expressions between the former pair to exchange their feelings or emotions for their eyes speak in colourful detail. Only do their smiles retrieve a sensibility of their emotions towards one another, and as much as Gary and Chloe have attempted to dispose of such romantic thoughts, they’ve effortlessly yearned for a fantasied happiness that will only last in hopeless illusions. 

* * *

** _Later that night..._ **

Chloe couldn’t help but wander over to the piano that was talked about during dinner. Coming closer to a clearer sight of such an aged piano, the trained musician doesn’t know where to look first. The light brown shade glazes over the wooden instrument but as she lays delicate fingers over the carved detail, there’s a thin layer of old dust that stamps against her skin. It’s a shame to know that this marvelous piano has been collecting dust when it should exhibit its classic melody. 

“She’s a beautiful one,” the dark-haired girl utters to herself, her hazel eyes having no desire to let go of such a stunning sight. The last time she’s ever come across an antique instrument was in America when studying at Juilliard, especially when it’s a Ludwig Victorian edition. Never had she believed of finding one of these here when they’re normally in museums.

“I’ve been told...” a deep masculine voice comes from behind, startling the London beauty. The poised brunette looks over her shoulder to see Gary walking over to her side, his light eyes gliding from the view of the abandoned piano and back at his perturbed friend. 

Chloe scrunches her nose, lifting the corner of her upper lip to his statement. She folds her slim arms over her chest and lightly squints her amber orbs, “What are you on about?” There’s absolutely no way this rugged, spiky-haired man had some sort of interest in music, especially for an instrument that is quite sentimental for her. 

Gary breathes out an amused chuckle expanding over his smooth lips. He leans closer to his ex-girl, an opened grin gracing those golden stubbled cheeks, “When I was little, my nan reckoned it’d be a good idea to get me a piano and pick up on the hobby, but I must’ve broken it cos it alway had an awful sound.” 

The elegant woman moderately scoffs an exhale out of disbelief to what he’s said, “You’re bantering, right? I thought you were more of the machinery type.” She lightly pokes his impressive bicep, playfulness swimming smoothly out her pretty voice. The warmth of her eyes look up at the crane operator, carefully analysing any cracks of lies in his face. 

“Oi, come on, mate! Give me a bit of credit here,” light-heartedly responds. 

A small but deep chortle rumbles up his throat and he sees Chloe take a seat on the bench, now facing the piano. She angles her head to his direction and carries an amiable smile for the blond man; such a simple smile that makes his heart yearn for this girl’s attention. Her hand rests on the surface of the cold bench and gently pats the available space for Gary to sit with her. Without wasting much time, the muscled inked lad slides his body next to his posh friend and precisely reminds himself how similar they were sitting when she was rehearsing at the theatre. The thought of sitting in front of a piano only convinces him that music has brought them together the first time ever since they parted ways from Love Island and tonight is sadly their last interaction. Gary doesn’t want to think much of her leaving just yet and only cherish this last bit of time he’ll be able to cling onto for the rest of his life. 

“I _was_ interested in learning but I'll admit that I got impatient cos of how terrible it sounded. I got the feeling it’s been defective and you know me — I can fix anything, but there’s just no fixing this bloody thing.” the blond mutters under the dislike of never accomplishing this passtime. It always irked his stubborn mind that this was something he eventually gave up on. It was impossible to dominate and it never took anything off his mind when practising the piano was meant for that. 

His annoyed stare hovers over the piano when distant childhood memories race in his mind. He remembers with immense detail how troubling this pesky piano really was. Not only did Gary believe that he wasn’t talented enough to develop masterful skills but he’s surprised how long he still lasted trying to learn. Ultimately, that’s when he told his nan that he’s found a new hobby in the gym and began to bulk up ever since. Hitting the gym filled in that void Gary needed, that satisfaction that motivated him to continue to become stronger and bigger. Seemingly, something this piano ever lacked on when all it did was cause stress.

All Chloe can do is intently listen to the issue this gorgeous piano was giving Gary. Her gaze stays on his handsome face whilst his nose wrinkles out of irritation and it matches the tightened frown grazing on his lips. The thoughtful brunette curtly bites her bottom lip as she quietly diagnoses the issue. Her slender fingers rest over the white keys and tries a short melody to wince at the uneven rhythm of the tune. 

“Ooh goodness, that’s not good,” the pianist eases out a bit of a giggle before she continues to explain the possible issue. Her head turns sideways to Gary who is patiently waiting to hear what else she has to say, “I reckon this needs a good tuning, is what it seems. Especially if it hasn’t been played for a while, but I’m sure I can fix it. I’ll just need the  tuning wrench, a felt strip, and rubber wedges to start with. ” Chloe assures confidently with a single nod and amusingly curls a grin to view the blond Chathamite totally confused at what she’s just said. 

Gary uses his hand to run down his golden stubbled cheek and lands the back of his fingers under his chin, gradually combing his facial hair as he ponders in what’s been requested, “You lost me on tuning wrench, love. Does a regular wrench work? I have plenty of those.” 

At this point, the focused musician stands up whilst listening to the suggestions, the spiky-haired man’s eyes following her every move, and she expertly lifts the piano’s lid to expose the vintage strings inside the keyboard’s anatomy. Something others may find a bit intimidating to evaluate but to Chloe, she  assiduously knows each mechanism and structure of a piano. Her hand starts to roam around other spots where people typically put the tools but no luck as of yet. 

“Hmm, no. I’ll need the actual tuning wrench otherwise this won’t —Oh, I found it! Here it is!” Shoved inside where the back of the strings were at, Chloe shrieks in excitement to have found the tool and it causes Gary to raise his bewildered dark eyebrows. She was almost positive that there was no tuning wrench to work with and the piano wouldn’t ever serve it’s true functionality. 

...

It’s strange, really. Gary is typically the one who is fixing things around the house. He’s the one being called to restore a drain or change the door’s handle but this time, the handy blue-eyed man is the one watching a graceful hourglass figure moving her way around the large instrument and carefully fixing and testing out the keys after adjusting them numerous times. She’s patient and utterly focused with each ring filling their ears. The crane operator’s manly facial muscles twist in pure amusement when Chloe’s been nothing but adorably bossy towards him, asking him to pass certain utensils without taking her sight off the piano’s cords. 

“Nooo, Gary! That’s a rubber mute, I need the Papp’s mute,” Chloe pouts over at him, now growing a little annoyed at how he’s acting clueless when he’s been giving her the right devices prior. 

“Ah, right— the silent Pete, got it. Sorry, love,” he mockingly responds. 

The blond ex-Islander curves the corner of his mouth into a playful smirk, catching eyes with the stunning London native but throws him an innocent glare after hearing him purposely say it wrong. She decides to just grumble her frustrating words out with her head shoved inside the piano, even though Chloe can clearly listen to Gary’s distinguishable chuckle in the background after he hands over the correct utensil. 

It doesn’t take long until the girl with the brown braided hair closes the piano’s lid and lightly claps the dust off her small hands, “Phew! I reckon she’s ready to go.” There’s a widened and satisfied beam brightening Chloe’s face, her cheekbones outline gorgeously as she stretches that radiant smile. 

The room comes to a cosy silence when deep sky blue eyes and large honey-coloured ones level with one another, pupils shyly align and steady their loving gaze for what seems like an eternity. It seems like every chance they’re alone, their gawks subconsciously lock into a ceaseless amount of ravenous infatuation for one another and as much as the former couple attempts to be subtle, anyone watching can detect this magnetising need for their physical touch. Chloe blinks her lovely lashes at the brawny bloke and sees his grin widen to notice her getting a bit timid at how intense his stare can get. Deciding to dig a bit deeper with this blissful interaction, Gary steps closer and his larger pale hand quickly finds her slender light-beige one, and a wonderful scatter of electricity bonds between their ardent touch and all Chloe can do is catch her broken gasp. 

There’s so much Gary wants to tell her at this very moment. There’s this powerful pull he’s been feeling towards her and whilst it’s been difficult for him to ignore, it keeps begging him to obey his heart and shower Chloe with all of his impassioned energy. Spending the last couple of hours with the posh brunette and helping her fix his old piano, it generates a jolt of want to tell her his childhood stories, fill her ears with more about his nan and mum. His keen light blue eyes look down at her flawless face and she glows beautifully in this rich yellow tone that originates from sunset coming from behind. Viewing her like this really makes Gary believe how much this woman actually resembles the sun; full of light that feeds anyone’s existence. 

Not brave enough to initiate his thoughts into actual vocal phrases at the captivating cellist, the muscular blond enriches his lips into a cheeky grin. “You’ve really come in here to play the mechanic, eh? I reckon that’s Dicky’s job,” Gary asks wittingly.

Chloe airs out a soft chuckle to the comment, her plush lips separating to give him an open smile and briefly squints a wink on a hazel eye, “I’ll make sure not to take his title.” 

Her entertained smile loosens into a modest one until the slender theatre performer can’t help but feel her face blush at how tentatively Gary relaxes an affectionate look across his attractive face for her, “I wanted to thank you for allowing me to meet your family...” Chloe’s sweet voice gentles out of her lungs. 

“Heh, trust me. You’ve nothing to thank me for, darling. My nan was actually dying to meet you and from the looks of it...” Gary leans closer to Chloe’s face and straightens his hand next to his mouth, making a secretive gesture. She curiously inclines a bit more to get a good hearing and the blond muscly lad whole-heartedly whispers, whimsically, “I’m having a feeling you’re growing on her.”

The gorgeous Londoner vaguely lifts the inner corner of her nicely trimmed eyebrows, not sure how exactly to react to the compliment. Gary’s nan is really taking a liking to the dark-haired girl and it only makes her golden-brown orbs soften, honoured to have met her. Chloe can’t lie to herself; after meeting that elderly woman, she can now understand why the blue-eyed man is quite close to her. The glamorous pianist tilts her chin upwardly and parts her lips to also share something secretive with the fit Chathamite. 

“Your nan is growing on me, too,” she softly whispers, her inviting breath thinly coating over Gary’s skin. 

She should’ve never said that, not when he’s already going through the toughest heartache ever experienced. Knowing this is their very last time together, it’s also the last time his nan and the woman he’s completely fallen for will ever interact. Despite carrying such a sturdy and muscled chest, his sensitive heart is torturously throbbing to each beat after hearing such a heavenly sentence escaping Chloe’s mouth.  There’s absolutely no method to provide a coherent reasoning as to why, but Gary feels the need to wrap his large arms around the petite woman’s frame. 

Strong arms gently draw Chloe into his wide frame, contrasting perfectly with the sensual curves carved flawlessly in her feminine figure. There’s no denying how much Gary provokes this sensational quiver to her lips when his comforting hands lightly press on the small of her back. His touch is chillingly nostalgic and every time Gary soothes the tip of his thumbs over her soft skin, shivers of involuntary desire shoots up the length of the sophisticated woman’s back. Still wrapped in their embrace, all her head is now wondering is if the dashing crane operator feels anything similar for her, especially when his hefty heart beats pounds loudly against her chest. Still allowing the silence to join their bodies, the blond and brunette pair keep their hug in place with Chloe’s weightless arms around Gary’s neck. His pulse rapidly thunders in disbelief of having the most beautiful bird he’s ever laid eyes secured in his arms. Loosening their arms around each other, the muscular bloke levels his sight to hers and luscious goosebumps tightens his skin after Chloe’s hands are now hooked on each side of his neck. Their lustful stares now focused on parted mouths, overwhelming waves of uncontrollable ardor fevers their lips. It’s a kiss so near to blossom once more but neither of the ex-Islanders dare to close that tense gap. 

A raspy cough startles the young pair, their tilted heads quickly turning over to locate the source of interruption and it’s Gary’s nan with aged eyes curiously gaping at such a private scenario that her grandson and Chloe were having. She’s not one to ever disrupt, but they were standing near the table she needed to set the tray she’s carrying. Gary and Chloe swiftly separate: blue and hazel eyes try to look somewhere else to avoid the tantalising electricity still blazing under their veins. 

“I apologise,” the elderly woman attempts to suppress her pleased smile matching those wrinkled eyes that happily gleam after witnessing her grandson and the lavish brunette quite comfortable with one another. “I reckoned a nice cup of tea with biscuits can do no wrong since you two are fixing the piano,” she finishes. 

“Actually, we’ve just finished!” Chloe perks to finally deliver the good news to Gary’s grandmother. The elegant London girl ambles over to the side of the piano and peaks a glance over to the older woman settling the tray on the table, “I ought to give it a bit of a test, perhaps a Frank Sinatra sample? What do you say, Mrs.Rennell?” Chloe half smiles to see the immediate excitement crinkling over her face and simply nods, too much anticipation to even answer properly. 

The classy pianist settles herself on the bench and faces the keys waiting to be properly played. Her nicely manicured hands hover over the keyboard and straightens her back before playing any notes. Her head races throughout all of Sinatra’s musical legacy and finally decides on one of her favourites to interpret on the piano. Initiating the flashy tone, her fingers expertly dance across the instrument, never losing a beat of the popular song and Chloe can’t help but widen a smile to hear the greyed woman from behind mumbling the lyrics in sync to the rhythm of the music. Having the most fun whilst playing these jazzy songs, there’s a different personality the golden-eyed girl distinguishes on this aged piano, considering how she normally plays classical music in theatres — if not, it’ll be film scores. Her fingers begin to finalise the tone of the last song and Chloe leans a bit, tilting her head to inhale the beauty of the keys’ ringing in her ear. Uneven but affectionate claps come from behind and the dark-haired girl turns around, sweetly smiling at their kind cheer. At some point, Gary’s mum even made it to the private piano session and she’s grinning contently to have witnessed such talent. 

“My dear, that was quite lovely. With talent like that, I’m sure you’ve had your share of music proposals after Love Island,” the elderly grandmother states, gleefully. 

“I wish,” Chloe huffs out a light chuckle. She already had an astounding position at her current theatre but if she was ever offered anything better, without a doubt, she’d go for it. Unfortunately, it seems like that was never the case after her time at the Villa. The proposals she’d receive in emails were mostly for modeling— which is not her thing, and for sleazy drama-centred companies that wanted to invite her for talks shows and chat about her Love Island experience. “Not as much as gossip media after I left the Villa.” The music performer concludes the last bit of her sentence with a frown, not wanting to remember that atrocious time of her life. She doesn’t want to think too much of it because every bloody time her mind traces to such a remorseful night, her heart can only drop to the pit of her stomach. 

“Oh, honey. I will say that the show was not the same after you left. Even my son was at the verge of leaving shortly after you did…” The middle-aged lady lingers an anguished pout, recalling the former couple’s cause of their separation. It only brings sadness to think that Gary and Chloe had broken up because of the blond’s oblivious tendencies. But more deception is brought to the blue-eyed woman when she remembers how unfairly her son was treated by the other woman that coupled up with him after the musician’s departure. 

The nan briefly shakes her head disapprovingly, squeezing her face into a blank glare when thinking of the finale of Love Island. She hisses a bitter laugh, “Surprised was I to have seen Gary win the show with that Australian girl.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh 👀I know I left it in a bit of a cliffhanger 💀but what are we thinking? Like it? Hate me? haha I'm just not giving Gary and Chloe a break but what can I say. I love the drama 😂 Let me know what you guys think of it and I seriously can't wait to share the next chapter because it's going to be kind of intense between our complicated lovebirds 🥺
> 
> Please make sure to visit my profile here and also check out the second fanfic I'm co-writing, "Blue and Hazel" - just make sure to grab snacks because it's hella long 💀
> 
> Once again, thank you for all of your support and until next time 💛💛💛


	10. Do I Wanna Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Islander 🙈It's me again with another late update lol But I'm so happy to bring you this chapter 😭It definitely pulled my heartstrings and hopefully it does the same for you! I want to make sure I thank you all so much for following this story and supporting it for so long. We've just reached 100 kudos like 😳wtf lol I still can't believe it but it definitely wouldn't have been possible without you guys being part of my motivation 💛
> 
> Enjoy reading folks 👀

It’s haunting enough diving into the subject of Love Island, but after hearing that statement air out of the older woman about Gary and Lottie winning the show, it makes Chloe’s insides swirl in utter discomfort. This is all coming as a bit of a shock to the cellist because of how she’s shut herself off all social media as her way to cleanse back to the normality of her life after abandoning the Villa; the brunette wanted nothing to do with anyone from the Love Island cast, except for Priya. Out of everyone, the estate agent was the only one that demonstrated authenticity to Chloe. And as for Gary, her heart tightens in agony to have felt like a fool and believed that he’s genuine about his feelings towards her when just now, the musician’s learnt about his success at Spain with the makeup artist. 

To the best of her ability, she attempts to keep a neutral face and press her plush lips together as she nods. Her heart palpates to endure such a false smile that graces the crease of her mouth, not even she believes it’s convincing.

“Really?” Chloe simply asks.

Her curled lashes blink over to the muscular blond’s direction and steadies her feeble gaze over at him. Her glistened pupils lightly tremble in muted heartache under the soft glow coming from the room’s light. Whilst it’s discouraging to know she never had the opportunity to see if she’d make it to the final with him, perhaps the brunette leaving was the proper thing to do. Learning about Gary and Lottie being the winning couple only makes her grow thankful that she’ll be leaving this bloody city tomorrow and just forget this entire trip ever happened.

“I had no idea...” Chloe tries not choke on her words, so she sucks in her elegant voice to supress her emotions, careful to not expose much. Still, her expressive sight is set on the silent crane operator and can detect the pure shame tightening on his masculine facial muscles.

“Congratulations,” she gently concludes, not knowing what else to say.

Witnessing how her lips force a small smile demolishes all of Gary’s energy. He sits there silently pleading for mercy with his deep blue eyes clinging onto hers but noticing that she hardens her facial expression; this only causes the muscular man to relentlessly widen his frown. 

Every time those golden-hazel eyes blink out a coat of despair, it makes the blond Chathamite feel completely helpless to know that there’s nothing he can say or do to revoke what his nan has just said when it’s all true. A jolt of sorrow swells in his chest to see how pained her pupils shake over at him when all he wants is flood her in comfort and explain. After all, the purpose of asking her to talk this morning was partially because he wanted to tell her himself about Love Island, but it seems like his nan has done that for him. At least Chloe’s heard it from his family rather than some random stranger or from the other ex-Islanders. He had been told prior that the London beauty wasn’t fully aware of the rest of the show and carried hope that she’d give him this last opportunity to clear things up.

“Chloe...” the former blond Islander utters, the tint of sadness cracking between the sound of her lovely name.

Unaware of the tension they’ve provoked in the room, Gary’s mother and nan exchange a knowing look as they’re now aware of opening a can of worms. Assuming that the cellist player had seen the final of Love Island, it felt easy to continue the chat but regret of doing so instantly gravitates across their faces after witnessing such powerful gazes being reciprocated between the young pair.

There’s no easy way out of this atmosphere that has now turned sour. Every time Chloe gulps in her shattered breath, she can’t avoid the knot sitting in her throat. And, ever since her eyes had locked with those familiar blue pools at her first Chatham performance, she knew the encounter would revive her heartbroken memories. These past couple of weeks have been nothing but a reminder of her delusional desires towards the brawny man and after learning about Gary and Lottie’s successful ending at Spain, it almost serves as a way to snap her back into her reality; a reality in which Gary will never be involved.

For a moment, she begins to analyse where she’s currently at: the home of her ex’s nan. Her anxious sunny-coloured orbs shift to the two older women who gape their sight with a certain pity, deepening the sheer embarrassment the classy musician has been trying to push away.

_What on Earth am I doing here?_ Chloe thinks.

She begins to question just how much lower her integrity can get for this man. Even after her many attempts to push Gary away, there’s always something about him that makes Chloe swimmingly disintegrate those walls just so she receives the chance to feed that devious sin of hers. And now, realising how wrong she is to have accepted this dinner invitation from his folks, it’s evident how out of touch she’s been with herself. In any other situation, the Londoner wouldn’t even dance around at the thought of going back to her past. But with Gary, she’s betrayed her own judgement and allowed him in her life— more than she would ever consent. And because of that, she’s grown afraid that there will never be limits between her and the crane operator.

Just as the four are sitting in an awkward silence, Chloe’s petite frame remains as still as stone, cautious of her next move, wanting to seek the escape of this stale conversation.

The elderly woman tenderly blinks out her concern toward the distressed young woman and glimpses at her grandson before looking back at the hazel-eyed cellist, “My dear, I reckon you—”

“Pardon my imprudence, Mrs.Rennell but I must excuse myself for a moment,” Chloe mutters.

Just as abrupt as her interruption is, she is quick to push her gracious body off her seat and keeps the crestfallen golden-hazel stare glued down to her slim hands; there’s absolutely no courage to face any of them, not when she’s at the verge of spilling her vulnerability. Her luxurious shoes shuffle on the ground as the low thud of her heels now echoes the further she walks away from the seating area.

With such a natural instinct, Gary shifts his wide body to get up and can only think about following his troubled former partner to make her company, but a gentle hand grips onto his forearm— a small but simple gesture coming from his mother, suggesting her son to give Chloe some space. He shifts his worried eyes to meet his mum’s empathetic ones, now sensing her aged hand lightly pat his as a sign of assurance that everything will be alright.

“Oh honey, we had no idea that she didn’t know about you winning the show,” Gary’s mother laments.

She slumps her shoulders as a disappointed frown downturn her lips to remember that her son has kept such an important detail out of all interactions he’s had with the sophisticated woman. Here she’s was thinking that the former couple was doing just fine and had cleared things up but as it turns out, it’s only been the contrary. She knows the type of man she’s raised and one that keeps secret is someone unknown to her, especially when the blond Chathamite seemed to have grown wrongly accustomed to that at the Villa. At the thought of having an upset musician isolated somewhere in nan’s home irritates the middle-aged woman and defeatedly admits that this is partially Gary’s fault.

“But I do expect better from you, young man. I hope your intention to go after her doesn’t wear off after giving her some time to collect herself,” Gary’s nan lectures him as she carefully stands and sighs out this stressful situation. She can only shake her head after imagining how awful Chloe is feeling right now, “It’s like I’ve told you before: you’ll never see a second chance but lucky you are to have it now.”

Even though she’s aware that her grandson can be a tad naïve and somewhat oblivious to many of his actions, she knows that it’s never intentionally malicious. And, whilst it’s not good to haven’t mentioned his success with Lottie at Love Island, at the same time, she understands that it’s a tough topic to tackle— especially when Chloe had left the Villa in bad terms and their encounter here in Chatham is not only extremely recent but they’ve spent a dangerous amount of time together ever since. What this poor cellist is probably feeling at the moment is utter deception and mislead when that’s not even close to how Gary truly feels about her. At the contrary, the elderly woman knows how invested her grandson has been towards Chloe and how flattened in energy he was by the end of the show because the petite brunette wasn’t there to experience it with him.

Before departing the room with after gathering all of the empty teacups and plates, the grey-haired senior glances over to the muscular crane operator as he sinks deeper into his seat and lingers in deep thought to his nan’s advice.

Coming clean to Chloe is something he’s been attempting to do for some time, but it almost feels like he’s not destined to tell the Londoner anything after countless failed instances. No matter that, it’s come as an objective for his to tell her everything; what happened that night she decided to quit, how things were after she left, his feelings deepening for her— _everything_. Never being a fan of confrontation, this will certainly be an exception for the refined ex-Islander. And despite there being the possibility of facing rejection from Chloe once again, the blue-eyed lad is willing to endure that if only it means to have given this one last try.

* * *

** ** ** _The hallway._ **

Short shrieks screech from the wooden door as it’s slowly pushed open. Until there’s enough space to peek out the hallway, Chloe pokes out her head to scan if anyone could be nearby. Watchful golden-brown eyes shift from each possible angle to notice that, thankfully, no one seems to be around. Her tense shoulders now relax as she graciously steps out of the loo and with her hand still on the door’s handle, Chloe makes sure to close it without a sound in the air.

At this point, the classical cellist doesn’t know how she will be facing Gary’s mum and nan after rudely leaving the chat when they’ve been nothing but kind and generous to her. Chloe’s quite the etiquette woman and, normally, she’s learnt to dominate and keep her cool, but her emotions were threatening enough to overflow at any second; she couldn’t possibly add more to her embarrassment. It was only pivotal for her to isolate herself and sulk with her distraught emotions after finding out about the success Gary’s had with Lottie. It was all too much to intake so suddenly and whilst it never was a bright idea to avoid the sensitive subject, Chloe should’ve known that sooner or later, she was going to stumble upon something like tonight.

Wanting to avoid going back for just a brief moment, her slightly reddened eyes catch sight of pictured frames perfectly displayed across the wall. An impeccably shaped eyebrow lifts to notice the family portraits aligned as a timeline— something similar that’s been seen in Gary’s home. Her hourglass figure gracefully ambles over to one end of the wall with poised fingers intertwined and intrigued pupils involuntarily glimmer at the view of a young boy with a large glasses taking half of his face but not even that overpowers the innocent beam that radiates wonderfully over those pale cheeks. He’s wearing a football uniform that’s covered in a bit of dirt and is proudly carrying a shiny trophy with a familiar woman right next to the child. It takes Chloe a second to realise that the woman is Gary’s nan when she was younger and there’s no way to stop a small smile from betraying her full lips.

Steadily and thoroughly taking her time at each frame, the petite pianist goes down the row and witnesses the gradual evolution of this little blond boy transforming into the handsome man he is now. In the middle of the exhibited pictures, she stops mid-step to analyse the blue-eyed man’s adolescence, taking notice of his early stages of bulking up. Next to the young blond stands a taller dark-haired boy draped in dark-coloured clothes and whilst he has quite the boyish features, Chloe can easily distinguish that it’s Dicky as a teenager; seems like those two have stringed along a good friendship for years.

Finally, coming to the end of the wall, curious amber eyes fixate on the remaining frame of, what it seems to be, a recent picture of Gary and his family at an airport. His dashing grin widens over his golden beard yet his sky-blue eyes cling to a faint misery that drains the life out of his masculine face. Subconsciously, Chloe relaxes her facial muscles and loosens her lips into a bewildered pout when she begins to wonder what her former partner was going through whilst the picture was being taken.

“That’s when I had arrived from Spain,” Gary simply informs.

A startled gasp reaches Chloe’s lungs just as his inviting deep voice is already caressing the brunette’s ears. She swiftly turns around to instantly notice him observing the same picture she was staring at. At some point in time, the tattooed man probably found his way over here and silently stood behind her, who knows for how long.

Too busy intaking the beautifully carved contours of the crane operator’s face, Chloe soon remembers what he’s answered her, and it ultimately has her swimming in a state of displeasure to associate him with Lottie. Overall, the topic of Love Island has never been an easy one to bring up and that’s why it’s been avoided between the two; more so the London girl but nonetheless, it’s not something Gary has ever liked chatting about either.

“I see...” Chloe replies, reservedly. Not knowing what else to do with her nervous hands, she loosely folds her arms over her chest in hopes to shield those incoming emotions that’s starting to brew under her skin. “I wouldn’t have doubted you and Lottie winning. Besides, the public can’t be wrong if they see a good couple,” she barely finishes, all when the pain between those velvet vocals try to slip through her teeth.

There’s no easy way to disregard the aching tug sinking down Gary’s stomach after hearing those disheartening words coming from her when he’s been nothing but devoted to classical cellist. His weary ocean eyes closely follow Chloe’s every move, eventually realising that she’s actually trying to escape him again— noticeable of a bad habit the blond man also possesses. The difference is that the older musician isn’t running away from the problem but more so, she’s running away from her feelings.

Without wasting much time, Gary’s large hand gently envelopes around the brunette’s delicate arm and draws his wide muscular frame closer to hers. Despite her trying to claim her arm back, shortly after, she gives in knowing his grip is indisputably superior compared to hers. Not long ago, he was tantalised by the sampled physical affection from her after fixing the piano but this time, the burly man senses Chloe’s immediate rejection, almost as if she’s frightened of letting him in again. Yet, the stunning Londoner paralyses her enchanting hazel gaze on Gary, making his strong jaw clench in frustration to how gorgeous stubbornness really looks right now. 

“I only won cos it was supposed to be us, darling,” he breathlessly corrects the luxurious woman whilst his throat stinging after noticing how her vivacious amber hued eyes shiver to what could’ve been between them. 

“Supposed to be,” Chloe quickly replies, bitterly tasting her answer. It almost felt like he finds enjoyment picking on her existing wound, but this simply makes her gulp the lump that never abandons her throat. She briefly shakes her head and flickers her curled lashes, “...But we weren’t,” she murmurs with her elegant tone of voice.

Never losing sight of the exquisite dark-haired woman, her response only triggers him to come closer and prove to her that there’s been no one else but her that’s invaded his every thought. The instant heat is felt the moment his hand lets go of her forearm and tenderly runs up the length of her slim arm but, with such a short and hesitant pause, Gary hovers his numbed fingertips over her neatly braided chocolate-coloured hair which beautiful cascades over her shoulder. Brief moments of their past times at the Villa flash in his mind to recall how much enjoyment he found running his fingers through those voluptuously thick locks of brown hair.

It’s barely possible to disguise Chloe’s impact to the blond’s physical loving gesture when a sharp gasp pierces right through her searing chest. She despises how easily it is for him to make her fragile heart burst into desire when the London beauty should know better than to let him in any further. Noticing how close Gary’s handsomely sculpted face is to hers, it’s easy to identify each crease on the corners of his soft looking lips. A distinguishable faint smile twitches for a second to know the pianist hasn’t pushed him away as of yet and this causes a quivered exhale to ease out his nostrils when he proceeds to guide his hand towards her impeccable face.

Regardless of how affectionate the Chathamite’s being, Chloe must remind herself that all he’s ever said and done is truly false; a false fantasy that she’s allowed him to extend. And, as much as it hurts to accept this, the blue-eyed man is only trying to comfort her to liberate whatever self-consciousness is lingering in his head.

Finding herself in a state of convincement, her poised figure goes rigid and gently pushes his hand away to then sense this electrifying bolt of magnetism at the mere touch of skin. The brunette refuses to loosen her hardened stare as she’s now committed to not giving in again but deep down, only will she admit to herself how stupidly vulnerable this man makes her feel. 

“Gary, now is not the appropriate time to discuss this, don’t you reckon?” Chloe asks, cautious to remain as neutral as possible.

Her trembling mouth tightens after a small inhale suffocates her lungs, detecting the warmth of his masculine pale fingers subconsciously running under the softness of her chin. It feels quite evident that Gary’s trying to have her meet his gaze but she’s reluctant from doing so as honey hued orbs blink a clouded gape down to the centre of Gary’s shirt— the only place Chloe can really land her stare when the brawny ex-Islander is temptingly inches away from her.

His desiring eyes forbid to lose sight of those delectably plush lips that are begging to be smothered in kisses, something Gary’s been feverishly craving to taste again. Soon enough, the idea of her leaving tomorrow disturbs the blond tattooed man when realising how approximate the time of her departure keeps getting. Time is ticking and the same gutted feeling begins to drown his thoughts to think this will be their last encounter.

“I know you’re leaving tomorrow but for the sake of patching things up, I’d love to have that chat I’ve asked for this morning,” Gary quietly insists and waits to see his former partner respond but, yet again, she’s frozen in conflict.

Desperate to hear Chloe agree to his proposal, the spiky-haired lad gains the courage to close the minimal gap between their bodies and draws his strong hands back to tenderly cradle the sides of her exquisite face. Shameless he is to admit how much he adores hearing those gentle gasps coming from the sophisticated Londoner whenever she allows him to demonstrate even the faintest bit of physical contact— and quite frankly, Gary can’t ignore how heavily his heart pounds against his muscled chest when Chloe reciprocates the equal fondness. She’s the sole reminder of what he idiotically allowed to slip through his fingers and now that she’s here, it’s too difficult to let go. And regardless of what’s been exposed about Lottie, there’s still hope that the classical cellist is willing to eventually take him back when she’s shown him before that she still lingers feelings for him. But, knowing her too well, he’s not expecting her to have a change of mind so quickly as she’s the type to need time to reflect on her decision-making; the blond man prays that the she’ll someday fall back into his arms where she belongs.

Broken sunny irises finally lift to instantly meet his deep blue eyes now clouded in a colourful yearn that’s she’s never seen before— not quite as dangerous as this time. She can’t quite describe the swarm of emotions that flutter in her stomach to such a mesmerising gaze that Gary refuses to break, never finding an escape from the adrenaline that is causing her shortness of oxygen. At some point, the former couple sinks deeper into the dimmed lighting, their shadowed figures now being swallowed by the darkness of the hallway. Barely able to detect the crane operator’s face, Chloe’s spine shivers to not just the coldness of a wall clashing from behind but to sense those familiar manly hands roaming down and mildly press his fingers on her curved hips she remembers him exploring so much.

Remaining still for a moment, neither of them dare to detach from their locked bodies and a contrast of blue and hazel gazes silently exchange with ardent pupils. It’s a subconscious act from the pair but they can’t help and lower longing stares to their lips as they sinfully drown in wonderment to what their combined mouths would feel like again. And, as much as the muscled lad fights against the urge to plant a tempting kiss on those rosy lips, he decides to angle his strong jaw and partially feed that guilty desire by pressing his mouth teasingly close to hers.

The peck is short but just enough to leave the blue-eyed man starving for more. Sceptical of finding any restraint within himself and surely against his better judgement, Gary samples more of her radiant skin as he leaves an adoring trail of kisses down her jawline, especially when he realises that, at any point in time, Chloe can push him away. 

Allowing herself to embrace his tricking caresses, just for a mere moment, Chloe lowers her eyelids as she gradually shuts them and concentrates at how wonderfully numb she becomes when Gary’s warm breath thinly coats her flushed skin. The posh Londoner wants to blindly feel like the blond’s kisses are authentic for once— even if she has to lie to herself for a bit, she’s willing to give up a bit of her integrity to recall what happiness felt like in the past.

Seconds feel like intense minutes when Chloe starts to feel the muscular inked man physically become more confident with his movements and lowers his attention to the sweetness of her neck. She’s completely sure that Gary can taste her heavy pulse against his hot lips after he rumbles a mumbled moan that only makes her respond with a concealed gasp. Before they involve themselves in a fierier engagement, the refined pianist places her graceful hands over Gary’s muscular broad shoulders and gently pulls away to meet his dazed ocean gaze.

“Gary, w-we shouldn’t be doing this— especially in your nan’s home,” the gorgeous musician breathlessly suggests. There’s no method to disguise this magnetic pull they have for each other as they decline to disperse from one another, at least not as of yet.

“Right then,” he sighs heavily with the tint of irritation tightening into a thin line between his soft-looking lips.

If only he could finish tracing those striking high cheekbones with faint yet zealous pecks, but he can already hear his nan’s vintage voice calling out to him from a distance, surely needing him for something. Gary takes a short pause and steadies his sight on his ex-girl who doesn’t lose a beat to the subtle movements the blond takes. Still unsatisfied with her avoidance towards the initial offer, he can’t help but bring it up again until he hears a concrete response.

“Chloe...” the blue-eyed man lowers his observant eyes and relaxes an expectant look across pale face, now growing a tad nervous to anticipate her rejection but nonetheless, ready to expect the worst answer slip through her pretty lips, “I still fancy having a chat with you.”

Knowing well enough that he’s a prideful man, it’s rare to ever plead but for this elegant woman— there’s absolutely no hesitation, “_Please_...” Gary’s last word hides the shakiness between his deep baritone voice.

Apprehensive about what she really wants, Chloe’s caught in a place of wanting to agree to the chat but then there’s a whisper at the back of her head telling her to shut him out immediately; something she’s been terrible at doing ever since her stay at Chatham. A slight tremble shifts the muscle of her chin as her frown dangles with a deeper uncertainty. Internally, her soul proceeds to burn in let-down and deception towards the handsome Chathamite but looking into those same light-coloured eyes, it’s easy to distinguish the strained misery she remembers seeing before leaving the Villa.

Chloe parts her lips as if she’s about to deny him but, much to her surprise, there’s an absence to her voice. As much as she wants to push him away for good, it almost feels like she doesn’t have the heart to say no to the bloke that’s done nothing but caused her utter trouble.

He stands before her poised frame, patiently waiting to hear what she’s got to say. Then, the hazel-eyed woman straightens her elegant shoulders, shifting her unsure look into a more determined one. Just as she’s about to speak up, her peripheral vision distracts a sight of a small shadow approaching the hallway with Gary curiously following Chloe’s gape. The pair is quick to detect that it’s the nan unintentionally approaching their direction, and, at their poor attempt, they try to keep their cool and act as natural as possible when the older woman enters.

Wrinkled eyelids blink to surprisingly see her grandson and the stunning brunette awkwardly standing in the semi-darkness, with Gary shifting his head to look out the threshold whilst Chloe looks down at her hands. Considering the tense ambiance radiating between those two and how affected the sophisticated young woman was to hear about Love Island, it’s quite clear to conclude they must’ve been having a deep conversation.

“Oh, I had no idea I was interrupting,” Gary’s nan politely smiles and takes a step back, ready to exit but stops her feet after hearing the London beauty clear her throat.

“You weren’t interrupting, Mrs.Rennell,” the classy cellist returns a delighted smile which reveals the faint dimples pinching her cheeks. “Gary was just letting me know that he’s ready to take me back to my stay at the hotel,” she states, factually.

The bulky crane operator crooks his head to stare at the elegantly draped woman but struggles to process what she’s said. It’s not exactly what he wants to hear but, at the same time, he understands that it’s been a coarse day for her. He roughly gulps the dry air that’s stored in his mouth and forcibly nods in affirmation, but disappointment claws down his throat to settle with the decision Chloe’s taken. Despite how much sense it makes for her to no longer want to discuss the complicated topic of their summer, Gary remains in slight disbelief that this will be the last encounter with the only woman that’s made him feel things he’s never experienced before.

“Erm...” the brawny blond briefly scratches the tattooed side of his neck and swiftly shrugs his thick dark eyebrows, “Yeah, sure,” he simply agrees with a crooked grin.

Soon enough, Gary’s nan clasps her aged hands to hear about the departure and hums out a disheartened sigh. She was just getting used to the lovely company of the young instrumentalist and couldn’t help but enjoy the unique energy Chloe has brought into her home. Running down the list of girls he has invited in the past — girls that were never in a serious relationship with him to say the least, none could compare to the undeniable chemistry Gary has with her.

This entire time, she’s closely observed how infatuated the spiky-haired man would land his stare on the pianist whenever she would talk, how passionately he’d chat about her, or the foolery he’d commit whenever he tried to impress her with his jokes and how sweetly the amber-eyed girl would entertain a laugh. Lingering that thought in mind, it devastates the older woman to know that her grandson’s lost love will be walking out that front door and never come back; it’s indisputable that Chloe is and forever will be the rightful woman for Gary.

Not being able to withstand the need of the gesture, the nan steps forward and pulls the luxurious-looking musician into an earnest hug and immediately feels Chloe return with the same amount of sentiment. Locked in a comforting hug, the Londoner reflects how lucky she was to have met this magnificent person and overall, quite distraught to remind herself that this will be her first and last visit here.

Both eventually pull away from their embrace and exchange grateful smiles. A wrinkled hand warms Chloe’s arm to sense the older woman affectionately rub her arm; a sweet action that particularly grandmothers exhibit to _family_.

“I suppose you must get going, my dear. We wouldn’t want you to be missing your transportation tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll have Gary drive you all the way home,” his nan lightly chuckles as the small group make their way to the front door. “Oh! And I’ll make sure to tell your mum that you’ll be back. She had to run little errand for me,” she directs her attention to Gary. 

He silently nods and wraps his grandmother into a brief but loving hug, “Actually, I’ve gone a tad knackered. I’ll be heading home after this, but I’ll see you tomorrow, nan,” he announces with a flattened tone of voice.

Compelling a strained smile across his golden bearded cheeks, he makes it clear to the elderly lady that there is a substantial amount of effort being put to mask his gloom towards the situation with Chloe. And, knowing that tonight is only crushing her grandson’s heart, all she can do is give his bicep a gentle squeeze in hopes he takes the last ounce of encouragement that she can offer. 

* * *

** _Outside of the vehicle._ **

Gary makes sure that the doors are unlocked and, from the other end, it’s noticeable how rapid the dark-haired girl is by swinging the door open as she settles her petite body on the passenger’s seat. The Chathamite feeds his chest with a deep intake of oxygen and exhales the ongoing anxiety through his nostrils. He just isn’t sure how exactly Chloe will be interacting with him when she seemed very conflicted before deciding to leave. But then again, it really shouldn’t matter; it’s not like he’ll be seeing her again. And as much as he hates to admit it, a worthy lad like Carl is bound to end up with the posh bird. Despite the lack of communication between the older duo, the Irish entrepreneur has always treated her with dignity and respect. The more his thoughts sulk into the idea of Chloe and Carl ultimately becoming a couple, the further he sees it possible to ever gain her back.

A glimpse of the perplexed musical performer is seen when she leans towards the driver’s window to wonder what’s detained Gary from getting in the car. Shaking off the endless ponders, Gary clutches his fingers on the handle, making the clicking noise from the door barely present after swiftly closing it and slides his wide body to adjust his sitting position. Not being able to kill the curiosity himself, the blond can’t contain his eyes and angles them to the side, stealing a glimpse at his former partner. She sits there in the same silence with her short-manicured nails tracing the pattern of the garment’s expensive stitching. Lifting his sight over to his side, he witnesses how perturbed those canary hued eyes reflect in the darkness of his car. Seemingly, her neatly done eyebrows lower, as if she’s lost in an internal debate in her head.

After debating whether to initiate a chat with her or not, Gary isn’t sure if it’s a good idea. He can tell that a lot is going through Chloe’s head after revealing the win of Love Island with Lottie and no matter what he says, it won’t have a good effect on the brunette. Still, he’s braves enough to catch her attention and ease in the small talk.

“I reckon the commute to the hotel won’t take long,” the crane operator simply states.

He waits a few seconds to see if this triggers any sort of response from her but not finding it totally surprising, Chloe remains just as silent as before. Little does he know that this entire time, she’s been battling an argument with her head and heart, trying to decide if it’s really worth to conclude this night with the chat Gary’s been insisting so much about. Itching to figure out what he’s been wanting to tell her, the dark-haired gulps her nerves whilst angling her head to the side and spots the handsome Chathamite take a grip at the gear lever.

“Wait...!” Chloe shakily demands after exhaling her abrupt state of panic.

Now that she’s captured his undivided attention, the elegant cellist chokes with her incoming phrase, sensing layers of fear of possibly committing another mistake but once noticing the twinkle in his pupils after she spoke up, it leads her to believe that perhaps there _is_ some worth to the discussion.

“I suppose we can have the chat— that is, if you haven’t changed your mind,” she stutters but manages to make sense to her sentence.

The grateful smile spreads that sits across his facial hair saturates his entire face with colour again. That’s all Gary needs to hear from her end, determined to take each privileged second as a rare opportunity to finally put an end to this bloody issue. Thinking that because of something that was out of his control it’s caused him this damn heartbreak that’s chained around his hefty chest.

“I was proper hoping you’d say that,” he replies with a gentle wisp of the stressed breath releasing out his tongue.

Just as the robust blond is about to begin, he pauses to find their exact surrounding not ideal for such a sensitive subject to divulge, especially when they’re still outside of his nan’s home. Then, his head leads to other locations to have their chat. First thing that comes into mind is taking her to her hotel room, it’s a closed off place where it’ll just be the two of them. But he quickly becomes unsure if it’s a good idea when the former Casa Amor lad is most likely there possibly waiting for her. This entire day, Chloe hasn’t mentioned anything about Carl and only assumes that he’s expecting her back at her stay. Gary definitely doesn’t want to encounter another issue with the Irish native, especially when he begins to think he must’ve looked like a complete arse for spitting snarky comments at the older lad last night. After discarding the first idea, the blue-eyed man wonders if the French-Londoner will find it alright if he takes her to his place for the conversation. It’s the only other place he can think of to seek comfort when openly talking about their summer and knowing the topic can effortlessly become sour, it’s pivotal that they’re in a confidential setting.

After putting some calculated thought into this, his deep-set eyes align again with Chloe’s patient ones, “How does my place sound? We’re minutes away so it won’t take long to get there,” Gary suggests, his baritone voice quivers in anticipation.

The gorgeous Londoner blinks her delicately curled eyelashes at the mention of returning to his home. Whilst it’s not a place she’s quite enthused of returning, she’s inhales her disagreement but settles for a simple nod to support the decision. In reality, one of the few reasons as to why she’s agreeing to this chat is because this will effectively be the last time she’ll ever lay her sunny eyes on that handsome face that she’s so wrongly developed feelings for. Swiftly reflecting on this unexpected trip to Chatham, never would she have believed that her career would be the bridge to haunt her past; something she’s done a great job avoiding until now. One thing she is certain of is that no matter if this chat turns positive or negative, this will be her last time speaking to Gary and finally move on.

* * *

** _Gary’s home._ **

Stepping in, the familiarised warmth surrounds her hourglass figure and soaks in a strange combination of fondness and irritation to recall how much Chloe adored the meaningless night that was spent with the crane operator in this very living room. Even though the interaction with him here wasn’t long ago, there’s no way to explain as to why it feels like it’s a distant memory. 

Lavish stilettos gracefully guide the posh theatrical instrumentalist to amble over at the centre of the area and partially twists her small torso to peek her golden sight from behind after hearing the door close. Her eyes instantly spot the attractive spiky-haired lad calmly strolling towards the exceptional beauty exhibited right before him. Trying to avoid the mesmerising look the cellist effortlessly carries, the blue-eyed man gestures her to take a seat at the couch; to which she follows instructions and delicately settles herself on the cosy couch.

“Make yourself at home, love.” Gary offers as he makes his way over to the other side and sits beside the petite woman.

The sensation of static numbs the emptiness in the blond’s stomach and notices it crawling down his legs thinking he might be getting cold feet. Just as it all sinks in, knowing he finally got what he’s been asking for, it sparks a bolt of apprehension towards the confrontation. This isn’t like him; confronting even the most insignificant situation has been something he will always try to avoid; an attribute he wishes he didn’t have. Yet, for Chloe, he knows he needs to set that flaw aside if he really cares about rescuing any misconceptions she has of him.

Gary heavily gulps as he prepares himself and cautiously steadies his light blue eyes on the ex-Islander, “Winning Love Island was a proper nightmare knowing I didn’t have you with me,” he starts but takes an immediate notice at the cellist’s disbelief as how her eyes slightly narrow but because she remains silent, this encourages the crane operator to continue.

“Ever since you’d left the Villa, I knew things wouldn’t be the same. The days dragged, the rest of the boys could tell I wasn’t in all of my senses, and I was quite tempted to walk off the bloody show,” his voice becomes gentle at a particular memory.

It was his head messing with him again when he was sitting by the extended pool one day, and that absurd voice that he had done a great job of ignoring had come back to irritate Gary’s peace. He remembers how much he exhausted his body at the gym to satisfy those scattered thoughts that kept pushing him to get stronger, build more muscle, and to just keep going. That same day, there was no one he completely trusted to open up about his issues. Sure, the boys were there but in reality, the muscular Islander needed the dark-haired woman by his side to open up about his past. Though it was a difficult time to surpass without Chloe, he thankfully kept checking his head at the end but if only she could’ve been there to ease away part of his distress.

“That night during the welcoming party, I was a right mess cos we were arguing. Everyone was heading inside, and I hadn’t seen you anywhere until Hannah told me to check at the rooftop terrace. I reckoned it would be perfect to have some alone time and talk about us but then I realised Lottie was there instead of you. I didn’t think much of it when I sat with her for a quick chat and she started saying how she wasn’t feeling anything for Bobby when she still fancied me. I tried to keep it positive, telling her that she needs to look elsewhere if she only sees Bobby as a mate but I was proper gobsmacked when she went in for a snog...” Gary heavily sighs to realise how weirdly similar that incident was when him and the makeup artist shared a kiss during early days.

“And that’s when you came in,” he says, a tone so shattered to recollect the pain and betrayal that crippled over the Londoner’s face.

Already struggling to yield her hindered emotions, the brunette clenches her jaw as her attempt to maintain her composure; perhaps leaving was the best decision. Evidently, the tattooed pair had won by the public vote, making them the best couple from the finalists, and this clearly means that the glamorous brunette might’ve been holding Gary back from trying things out with Lottie. Chloe lightly shakes her head to think how delusional and blinded she’s been about this. Despite how much her heart continues to throb immensely for him, she can only conclude that he’s definitely not the man for her.

Bothered about what’s just been heard, she can’t help but bitterly scoff out a chuckle, “How much of a knob do you think I am, mate?” The irked musician asks and takes a brief pause to stiffen her beautiful face into a disapproving scowl the more she thinks about her breaking point, “You kissed Lottie again and that’s all I need to know as to why I’ve left.” Chloe finishes.

Leaving the Chathamite in a pool of deep puzzlement, he instantly gravitates his lips into a stretched frown after he’s been completely truthful about the whole thing. Because of the rush of frustration that’s flowing through Gary’s veins, his finger run through his golden spiked locks and blankly stares at the ground not knowing what else to tell her. He sits there, willing to listen to whatever she has to say now. 

“All you’ve ever done is toy with me, and I’ve had enough of it,” Chloe’s voice becomes absently dry at the end, dying to achingly grieve out her feelings.

Afraid she’ll expose too much of her vulnerable side, the petite girl pushes her body off her couch and prefers to stand afar from Gary. Only like this, will she be able to sustain the sob that’s clogged in her throat. The pianist just can’t allow herself to sink into tears right now, but overwhelming emotions collide against her ribcage when she senses that thick masculine frame radiating his body heat on her curved back. Gary makes sure that there is still a bit of distance between the two of them but still close enough to inhale the soft fragrance of natural roses that drives him crazy. Easily falling for her sultry presence, the blond softens his sky-coloured gaze down to her delicate shoulder and releases a warm breath on the side of her neck, hovering his mouth over the brunette’s ear.

“I dunno how else to make you understand that the only bird I have feelings for is you, Chloe,” Gary earnestly mumbles out his deep vocals, instantly noticing gorgeous goose bumps rising under her skin.

Anger and ardency levitate, loathing how she shamefully has deep feelings for this man when she shouldn’t. Now determined of putting an end to this nonsense, the luxuriously dressed woman finally turns around and faces a piercing virile blue stare that eats her up wholly. Her upset face viciously tightens, clashing with the sight of passion, shivering intently around her shiny pupils.

“I have no feelings for you,” Chloe firmly states, fixating her cold eyes at her ex-partner, thoroughly contrasting her interior want for him.

After listening to those empty words, Gary thought that it would feel like a bullet through his chest but instead, this fuels his desire to remind her of their mutual love. Without putting much thought into his actions, the muscled ex-Islander closes the small gap, and bravely draws his strong pale hands on each side of Chloe’s face, locking her fragile eyes with his. Not providing her much time to pace her sentiments, the attractive blond man uses the tip of his nose to caress hers, triggering an overwhelmed gasp to suck their shared air.

Tempting mouths water for one another, hungry to unleash their cravings and Gary can’t help but glimpse at how needy her lips tremble, finding himself mimicking a similar motion. Not letting go of the cellist’s angelic face, he tilts his head and brushes his feverish lips upon her full ones— a welcoming spark igniting a deeper level of carnal selfishness between the two. Initially, the petite dark-haired girl stiffens her poised frame with hesitancy, but Chloe gradually sinks into the equal yearn once she feels his sturdy arms circle around the small of her waist and press his existence on her.

Not being able to contain herself, she glides her slim hands to his bearded jawline and shifts his face to deepen their hot kiss. With a pleasured moan vibrating in Gary’s mouth, he consumes her entirely, hungry at each time his hot tongue strokes her soft one. Evidently, he hasn’t forgotten how much she loves it when he tenderly runs his hands up her back, already making her shiver out short pants of breaths for more of his touch. They missed this so much and now that they’re clouded in a sinful chamber of limitless appetite, they wonder how likely it is to do the unthinkable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm a tease 😈haha but the next chapter will be amazing ahhh 👀Anyways, let me know what you think and comments, kudos, or even just reading it is totally appreciated so thanks sm my friends 😌
> 
> I hope to see you soon and in the meantime, I will be going back to working on "Blue and Hazel". If you haven't checked that out, make sure to do so because it's 🔥Visit my profile and you'll see it there! 
> 
> Until next time 💛stay safe


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